The right team

Do we need another Rauner? Maybe, if we would like to see Illinois on yet another downward spiral: $1.03 billion in late payment penalties in 2017; $16.7 backlog of unpaid bills in 2017; it has been reported that Illinois incurred eight credit downgrades during Rauner's tenure.

By contrast, JB Pritzker used his own money for PPE, and his families' foundation finances were redirected to handle the issues of the pandemic. On June 27, Fitch shifted Illinois' credit outlook to "positive." The Moody's credit rating agency has upgraded the state's bond rating for the first time in more than 20 years. On July 8, Standard & Poor's upgraded Illinois' bond rating.

Illinois Comptroller Susana A. Mendoza recently announced that the state's backlog of unpaid bills has fallen to $3.5 billion from a high of $16.7 billion in 2017, meaning that, for the first time in years, the state is paying its bills as they come in.

Illinois State Treasurer Michael W. Frerichs said, "The Treasurer's Office is raising the bar. We endeavor to take governmental investment standards to a new level, one that recognizes that sustainable environmental, social, human capital, business model and governance practices are strongly related to safer, more innovative, better-performing companies."

It makes a difference when the voters of Illinois select a team that will work together, including the Illinois General Assembly, to move the state forward. We may not be there yet, but we are definitely in going in the right direction.

Mark Delarco

Warrenville