Lake Co. state's attorney's hopefuls debate child support

Lake County State's Attorney Michael Waller says he is proud of the job his child support enforcement unit does in collecting money from parents who resist court orders.

Waller, a Republican who has been state's attorney since 1990 and an attorney for 35 years, said his child support enforcement unit was recently named the best in the state by the Illinois Family Support Enforcement Association.

"We have a staff of dedicated professionals who work diligently to see to it that noncustodial parents pay their child support," he said. "Our program is a model for others in the state."

However, Michael Jacobs of Gurnee, the Democratic challenger in the Nov. 4 election, said even the best can get better. If elected, he pledges to seek a less adversarial approach.

"The research I have done indicates the attitude is win at all costs," said Jacobs, a Cook County assistant state's attorney for 22 years. "The office has taken the position that they want to get the most money possible for the custodial parent."

A more reasonable way of doing things, he said, would be for the state's attorney's office to work with both parents on the support issue.

"I believe that working with both parties on an equal basis would reduce the friction and would lead to more people paying their support," Jacobs said. "Sometimes, if you seek too much money from a person who cannot pay it, you wind up with no money at all."

Waller said Jacobs is unable to cite specific cases in which his office has dealt too harshly with nonpaying parents, and stressed that reason is applied in every case.

"We always seek an amount that is appropriate in the light of the needs of the child and the ability of the parent to pay," Waller said. "Our attorneys and staff work very hard in finding what money is available and where it has been going."

In the past year, Waller said, his office formed an alliance with the family courts and other agencies to help nonpaying parents overcome the most-often cited reason for missing payments.

"Support court has transformed into a problem-solving court, and we actively are assisting people in finding employment," Waller said. "We identify the skills they have and try to get them back to work, and in some cases have started them on the road to learning new skills that will lead to employment."

Jacobs said he believes the softer touch will mean more in the long run.

"We need to foster a cooperative environment," he said. "If each party has an understanding of the other's circumstances, it will result in regular and timely support payments being made in a consistent manner."