Illinois Municipal League fairytales

The recent "Chicken Little" article regarding police and fire pensions is just baloney. The Illinois Municipal League is claiming the sky is falling and screaming (not crying) wolf. But they are the wolf in Grandma's clothing. Instead of Little Red Riding Hood, it's the police and fire pensions they want to eat up.

By all means the funding of pensions is a complicated procedure. However, the IML is using simplicity to confuse the public when there are no problems with the majority of the 16 different pension funds in Illinois, particularly downstate and suburban police and fire pension funds, which are, I believe, the target of the IML.

It is not the state legislators who are overly generous, it is the municipalities who do not follow the rules, make incorrect calculations, spike the pay of favorite employees, and divert the monetary obligations of the legislators' intentions, creating a shortfall in areas that contribute to the under-funding of some boards.

Some municipalities get around their obligations by hiring their own actuaries to reduce their own commitments. It is only the police officers and firefighters who consistently and honestly contribute to their fund.

There is so much more to this than space allows, but I recognize the wolf in grandma's bed. This is all designed to throw cops' and firefighters' pensions under the bus. Very few, if any, of the IML's proposals mean anything but may remove their obligations to the fund and give them control of a pension system so they can have even more power. And mayors have enough power and entitlement as it is.

Joseph M. Andalina

President

Metropolitan Alliance

of Police

Bolingbrook