By Greg Halbleib
SPRINGFIELD – Governor Bruce Rauner again insists one of his goals is to rid state regulations from local spending decisions.
The Republican governor told WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn local dollars should have local control.
“Run Bloomington, run Normal as you see fit. Run McLean County as you see fit,” Rauner said. “Don’t have Springfield telling you how to run your community. I say get Springfield out of it, let local residents control it.”
PODCAST: Listen here to Gov. Rauner’s interview with WJBC’s Scott Laughlin and Patti Penn.
The governor applauded the Democratic legislative majority for passing measures on pension and procurement reform, but said their budget proposal is not a compromise. Rauner insists on a property tax freeze, saying he prefers a permanent one but will accept a four-year hold if the proposed income tax increase ends at the same time.
Rauner responded to Unit 5 Superintendent Mark Daniel’s question about compromise by saying he’s willing to move on some points, but Democrats have to give as well.
“Bring relief to our small business owners so we can create more jobs, and then I would reluctantly go along with some new types of revenue,” Rauner said. “What the Senate Democrats did, let’s be clear, they put in a massive tax hike with no real relief for businesses on regulation, no real relief on property taxes, no real term limits, and that’s a mistake. We should not do that.”
Responding to District 87 Superintendent Barry Reilly’s question, Governor Rauner said his legacy would not be as the one who allowed schools to close because of no budget, claiming the situation developed during the Democratic majority.
“The majority in the legislature has been in power for 35 years,” Rauner said. “Deficits, debt, unemployment, brutally high taxes, corruption, cronyism. And I’m standing strong against that. I’m blowing up this system.”
The Republican governor took another shot at the budget proposal passed by Democrats this week.
“They passed a massive tax hike without property tax relief, without term limits, without government consolidation, without worker’s comp reform,” Rauner said. “I don’t call that a compromise.”
Greg Halbleib can be reached at [email protected].
