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Towns call for pension reform

One thing is clear from unofficial polling results: Voters want pension reform. Several towns within in Cook, Kane, McHenry Lake and DuPage counties overwhelmingly supported a pension reform advisory referendum, based on unofficial results.

The referendum asked, “Shall the Illinois General Assembly and Governor take immediate steps to implement meaningful police and fire pension reform which will relieve the extensive burden on local taxpayers now that the General Assembly and Governor have reformed the pension systems for all other public employees?”

How the state will do that is not made clear, but unofficial results in Prospect Heights, showing 79.27 percent of voters supported the reform steps in all but one precinct reporting, were typical of 13 other Cook County towns also voting on the measure, with the exception of Oak Brook, where 66.6 percent of its voters did not approve the referendum.