Editorial: Numbers still back dropping lieutenant governor

State Rep. David McSweeney is back with a cause he first championed three years ago - a constitutional amendment to abolish the office of Illinois lieutenant governor. We liked the idea when he proposed it in 2013, and we're just as supportive today, even considering any concerns about the comparative savings the idea produces.

Daily Herald political editor Mike Riopell astutely reported Friday that the estimated savings of eliminating the office - $1.6 million - would not, at least in the first year, cover the legally required cost of mailing the amendment to every household in Illinois, an estimated $2.4 million.

But that short-term complication can be easily addressed, and doesn't overrule the long-term wisdom of joining eight other states that dispense with the notion of a secondary constitutional office with few practical responsibilities beyond taking on assignments from the governor and otherwise waiting in the wings to step in if something bad happens. McSweeney's proposal would move the succession to the state attorney general.

The easiest response to the mailing objection is to eliminate the statutory language that requires it. McSweeney, a Barrington Hills Republican, told us Friday, in fact, that he plans to introduce legislation next week that would do just that, emphasizing other reasonable means of publicizing amendments and carrying the added benefit of saving the state a couple million bucks any time a constitutional amendment makes the ballot. Even discounting the lieutenant governor issue, that savings could have an immediate impact just this November if either of two public initiatives - one seeking term limits for certain elected officials and another changing the way legislative district boundaries are created - makes it to the ballot.

But even if the mailing could not be avoided, the numbers still favor elimination of the lieutenant governor position. Within a little over a year, the state would have covered the cost of the mailing and would begin reaping the annual savings.

Granted, in the face of a $35 billion state budget and billions of dollars in unpaid bills, savings of $1.6 million can almost seem paltry. But at the same time, we can think of a lot of social service agencies right now that would be very happy to put that $1.6 million to use helping Illinoisans in need, and that seems a better use for the money than to support an office whose duties vary widely in importance depending on the skills and interests of the person holding it.

The current lieutenant governor, Evelyn Sanguinetti of Wheaton, has made a legitimate contribution by heading up a task force on government consolidation for Gov. Bruce Rauner. But not everyone in the position has done so well. In 1981, then-Lt. Gov. Dave O'Neal even resigned, declaring the job to be too boring.

No, the state is not going to solve its fiscal woes through the mere elimination of a minor constitutional office nor the savings of another measure we support, consolidating the treasurer's and comptroller's offices. But, as Sanguinetti herself indicates, such actions do make a statement that we are serious about operating efficiently.

So, yes, let's start saving money by first eliminating the unnecessary requirement for mailing the text of a constitutional amendment to every household in Illinois, then build on it by eliminating the lieutenant governor's office and merging the treasurer and comptroller.

Like the man says, a million here, a million there, pretty soon we'll be talking about some real money.