59th district candidates want to change the system

The race for state representative in the 59th District could be considered a case of self-described Republican outsider Dan Sugrue trying to upend the establishment.

However, even incumbent Democrat Carol Sente says the system needs to be changed in some respects.

Sente, 49, a business owner from Vernon Hills, was appointed about a year ago to fill the unexpired term of popular Democrat Kathy Ryg, who resigned to lead a children's advocacy group.

A former Vernon Hills Park District commissioner, Sente said she originally had no intention of getting into politics but has found a mission and wants to finish what she started, particularly regarding the state budget process.

"There are things to fix," she said. "I have a great desire to work in a more bipartisan manner."

Sugrue, 46, an attorney from Green Oaks, said he was irked by a lack of choices in the 59th District and decided to run against Ryg in 2008. He lost that race but vowed to try again. He announced his candidacy in August 2009, two days before Ryg's resignation became public.

He said the long-standing Democratic leadership presents a roadblock.

"Nothing can get changed, nothing can be reformed in Illinois until we change the leadership," he said.

The candidates presented their views during a recent joint interview with the Daily Herald.

Both consider the $13 billion state budget deficit a priority and recommend changes in the way the budget is assembled and approved. Both oppose a state income tax increase and favor starting from scratch with a zero-based budget.

Sugrue contends the problem is the state is spending "so much more than what's coming in." He said lawmakers had little time to examine the most recent 2,700-page document.

"To me that's obscene. We have budgets that are constantly rammed down the throats of people in Illinois," he said.

Proposed budgets should be posted online to allow "a lot of sunshine" into the process, he said, and suggested a line-by-line audit.

"It's a way to start. We have to know where the spending is taking place before we cut. A forensic audit would do exactly that," he said.

Sente agreed the budget process "fails us" but said that despite being a newcomer, she was able to affect some change in the form of a pending bill that would set an expenditure ceiling based on realistic revenue projections, among other things.

She said she stood her ground with party leaders by refusing to immediately approve a budget she hadn't examined, and advocates a complete reform of the process.

Public input would assist in setting big picture priorities and a bipartisan committee would review the budget proposal, according to Sente's plan.

She added she and nine other legislators met after the spring legislative session and proposed $1.3 billion in spending reductions, including renegotiating and rebidding state contracts and trimming Medicaid.

Sugrue said Medicaid costs should be trimmed by moving to managed care. He said he supports the formula used by the Illinois Policy Institute on spending recommendations.

Both agree pensions for public employees are lucrative and need to be reduced.

Sugrue said recently approved pension reform for new workers was "halfhearted at best," and advocated changing from a defined benefit to a defined contribution plan.

He also wanted to examine pensions not yet earned by existing workers.

"There's a lot more that can be done. We can't just tinker around the edges on this," he said.

Sente said current pension obligations can't be sustained.

"Frankly, I feel they're gold plated and we need to reduce them," she said.

Sente said the state should concentrate on the pension system for new employees first. She did not rule out an eventual review of the pension contributions and rules for current workers' future earnings if it was deemed legal to do so.

The 59th District includes portions of Buffalo Grove, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Indian Creek, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mettawa, Mundelein, Northbrook, North Chicago, Park City, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills, Waukegan and Wheeling.