57th house candidates discuss economy

Even as the market climbed higher Monday after last week's large fall, voters haven't stopped worrying about the economy.

"The economy, economy, economy; that's basically what I hear," said Democrat Elaine Nekritz, the incumbent in the state House District 57 race.

Republican challenger James Tatooles said that while a solution on the state level won't go very far to bolster the nation's economy, one obvious fix is to lower taxes and cut unnecessary expenses from the budget.

"If you cut out pork barrel legislation, then you need less money to operate the government," Tatooles said.

He cited the controversial $1 million grant given by the state under Gov. Rod Blagojevich to a private school in Bronzeville formerly run in a church that was destroyed by fire. The governor asked for the money back in September, saying it was intended for the rebuilding of the church and was rewarded as a result of a bureaucratic mistake.

Tatooles said households have had to tighten their belts in the past weeks, and the state shouldn't be any different.

Nekritz, however, said a tax reduction while the state budget is already challenged doesn't make sense.

"Revenues are not coming in even as they're anticipated," she said. "To cut taxes creates an even bigger hole."

Nekritz said necessary programs, such as those designed to help the developmentally disabled, suffer when slashes are made.

Both candidates agreed the best way to create jobs in the state is to pass a capital bill, which Illinois has not had for nine years.

"The Democrat-dominated legislature has not been able to get together and pass that capital bill," Tatooles said. "There's billions of dollars in reserve in the federal government that we can use to create jobs and repair infrastructure."

Nekritz, meanwhile, said a capital plan has to be coupled with "green collar" jobs that take advantage of alternative energy technology.

"We've got some excellent universities that have some great ideas," she said. Those kinds of jobs, Nekritz admits, are long-term solutions that will take a few years to kick in.

The 57th house district covers parts of Des Plaines, Mount Prospect, Prospect Heights and Northbrook.