31st Dist. state Senator says opponent is 'an amateur'

Democratic state Sen. Michael Bond says his opponent is "an amateur" for contending there is much to cut in Illinois' spending while being unable to identify specific line items to target.

Republican Lake County Board Chairwoman Suzi Schmidt and Bond discussed state finances and other topics Wednesday during a Daily Herald editorial board endorsement interview.

Bond and Schmidt are running in the 31st Senate District that covers most of northern Lake County. Voters will make their choice Nov. 2.

In the editorial board interview, the candidates were asked how they would try to get the state's budget under control.

Schmidt replied first, saying the state has a spending problem and cuts must be made. She cited general examples, such as eliminating the lieutenant governor's job and combining the comptroller and treasurer offices.

But not all potential cuts can be immediately identified because the state hasn't passed a budget, Schmidt said, so there are no line items to review.

"I can't find where they are spending all of their money," said Schmidt, 59, of Lake Villa.

Bond, 40, of Grayslake, scoffed at Schmidt's problem with the lack of a line-item budget. He said she could review previous budgets or locate individual expenditures at any of the state agencies because it's public record.

"To sit here and go, 'I don't know where to find that budget,' that's amateur," Bond said. "That's an amateur response. You want to know, go find out. It's public information. It's all over the place. A campaign staffer can get it for her."

Bond said the state's roughly $13 billion deficit may be overstated. He said spending may not need to be trimmed to that level to ease the financial crisis.

One way to shore up the budget, Bond said, would be through his work as co-chair of the Public Benefits Fraud Task Force. He said the task force projects the state can save up to $1.5 billion by reducing fraud in a system that includes Medicaid.

Schmidt and Bond said they don't support tax increases as a way to stem the budget woes.

Bond was elected to his first four-year term in 2006, defeating Republican Warren Township Supervisor Suzanne Simpson.