43rd House candidates have different ideas for social service funding mess

After months of bad news, something good happened at the Community Crisis Center in Elgin last week.

"We've gotten payments from the state and we are paid through May. Of course, very soon they'll owe us for June, July and August. But it's been very helpful," said Gretchen Vapnar, the domestic violence shelter's executive director.

The center serves 7,000 people a year primarily from northern Kane County and northwest suburban Cook County, but accepts anyone throughout the state who is fleeing domestic violence and can't go home.

It is among a virtual buffet of social service agencies pushed to the brink by the state's budget crisis.

Going forward, Democratic incumbent Keith Farnham and Republican challenger Ruth Munson - candidates for the 43rd State House seat in the Nov. 2 election - believe the state needs to re-examine its funding priorities so local agencies like the Crisis Center won't be left out in the cold.

But Farnham and Munson differ on how to go about it.

Farnham, who thwarted Munson's re-election attempt in November 2008 when he won by 322 votes, said lawmakers need more input from residents on which services they want and which they can do without.

He also said the state needs to stop budgeting based on money it anticipates and legislators can't continue to put out "wish lists." He said lawmakers need to hear from people on what services the government should provide and at what cost.

The state's budget crisis drew headlines in summer 2009, but Farnham says he's only been in office since January 2009 and the problem goes back decades.

"There's been a tidal wave moving toward us for a long time," he said. "There's been a lot people asleep at the wheel that last couple of decades in Springfield. Now it's time for us to wake up and do what's right."

Munson, who was appointed to the seat in December 2002 and re-elected in 2004 and 2006, said she would focus on creating more jobs, which leads to more revenues from income and sales taxes.

She also said the state needs to stop borrowing money to pay its current bills and, instead, cut costs. Munson said if the state could save $1 billion if it eliminates the estimated 10 percent of Medicare spending attributable to fraud and overbilling.

She said the administrations of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and current Gov. Pat Quinn used a shell game to increase spending while not increasing taxes.

"We no longer have any credit cards to borrow from. The spend and burn policies have plummeted our bond rating," she said. "We need to get people back to work."

The 43rd House District includes parts of Elgin, South Elgin, East Dundee and Carpentersville.