Illinois comptroller candidates debate pensions, spending

CHICAGO (AP) - The Illinois comptroller candidates have debated over $4 million paid in bonuses to state employees and public pensions in front of the Chicago Sun-Times (http://bit.ly/2cP6Ox8 ) editorial board.

The comptroller's office has been highlighted during Illinois' financial woes and budget stalemate, which have shown the difficulties of getting payments made to social service agencies and other entities.

Among the campaign issues is incumbent Republican Leslie Munger's assertion that Democratic candidate Susana Mendoza should give back one of two pensions she collected as she served as both a project coordinator for Chicago's planning department and an elected Illinois representative.

Mendoza said her pension contributions reflected city pay hours she was docked when she was in Springfield and that she saw no problem in working two jobs.

"When I retire, I will only have one pension because I get to fold them into the same pension," Mendoza said Thursday.

In defending her pensions, Mendoza called Munger "the embodiment of the two worst governors in the history of the state of Illinois," saying imprisoned former Gov. Rod Blagojevich also launched the same pension accusation in 2008, accusing her of halting a construction plan to get back at his effort to ban office holders from working two public jobs at once.

Libertarian candidate Claire Ball and Green Party candidate Tim Curtin also participated.

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Information from: Chicago Sun-Times, http://chicago.suntimes.com/