Dist. 48 candidates disagree on pension, salary caps

The two hopefuls for Illinois House District 48 agree recent state pension reforms are a good start for righting a troubled system, but they offer different ideas on the best ways to improve it moving forward.

Last year, lawmakers approved changes to public sector pensions for workers hired in 2010 and onward. In general, the next generation of school, university, state and local government employees must work longer to qualify for pensions that are less than today's public work force.

But Republican incumbent Michael Connelly, an attorney from Lisle, said changes should be made for workers hired before 2010. The current state pension system is unsustainable, he said, and legislators should consider salary caps while also changing how pensions are structured.

“What concerns me the most is ... five years down the road you'll have a 75-year-old retired teacher and there will be nothing left," Connelly said. “We need to look at caps and need to be reasonable, dispassionate and objective. Public safety unions have been negotiating with the municipalities and state and trying to restructure their pensions, because they understand this (system) is not sustainable."

His Democratic challenger Barbara Green, a retired teacher and journalist from Lisle, said the state should fulfill its current pension commitments and she does not support caps.

“I suppose caps matter at some levels, but then you start talking about who should get paid what amount for what job, which opens a whole can of worms," she said.

Double-dipping pensioners are the biggest drain on the system, said Green. The political newcomer argues state employees collecting pensions for one job should simply be barred from collecting a pension from a second state post.

“It is unacceptable that some public employees earn multiple pensions or bloated pensions due to end-of-career pay hikes that are driving our state into debt, she said.

Connelly said he agrees double-dipping should be prohibited.

“If you are a retired employee taking a pension, then you shouldn't get another pension and should get a 401(k) going forward," he said.

District 48 represents portions of Naperville, Lisle, Wheaton, Woodridge and Bolingbrook.