What would be the most honorable, selfless act an Illinois elected official might consider? Probably this: To acknowledge the state’s financial woes and, in the name of overburdened taxpayers, fire oneself.
To say publicly what no fiefdom-building politician ever wants to admit: My city and state would be better off without me and my expensive, wasteful bureaucracy.
Go ahead and roll your eyes, but then applaud Mayor Curtis McCall Jr. of Cahokia near St. Louis, who declares that residents really would benefit if his village along the Mississippi River combined with two nearby communities. “I would have to step down from my position as a mayor, and that wasn’t an easy choice to make because I love serving the citizens in the village of Cahokia,” he said, according to the Belleville News-Democrat. “It wasn’t an easy decision to make, but it was a necessary decision to make.”
The idea of consolidating and eliminating units of government in Illinois is the long-standing wish of infuriated watchdogs and exhausted taxpayers. This state has more government units than any other: nearly 7,000 of them, including villages, townships, housing authorities and drainage districts. Every one takes its share of dollars from you, the taxpayers. Many of these taxing bodies operate without much scrutiny and offer services that could be handled by others. Many provide taxpayer-funded pensions.
At the same time, Illinois is losing population as residents leave for other states with brighter economic opportunities, lower taxes, less corruption and sometimes, yes, warmer weather. We hear frequently from Illinois Exodus seekers and other fed-up residents who fear the downward spiral’s impact. At both the state and local levels, Illinois is deep in debt, yet government entities continue to tax and spend at unsustainable levels. As more Illinoisans leave, and others choose not to come, the burdens rise on those who remain.
Fleeing is always an option. “I’m tired of Illinois’ multiple levels of corrupt government and out-of-control spending,” Tribune reader Kevin Bae of Glenview wrote in a recent letter to the editor in which he said goodbye. “People here scream for change but vote the same people into office time and time again.”
Two other recent letter-writers focused their attention on government spending, offering specific suggestions for downsizing expensive bureaucracies. Jack Shniderman of Northbrook looked at a map and wondered why Illinois has 102 counties and a population of 12.7 million, while California has 58 counties and a population of 39.5 million. “Like a business merger, if Illinois merged down to 40 or 50 counties, it would save billions by eliminating redundancies in workers, equipment, pensions, elections, transportation and hundreds of other expenses,” he wrote.
A Facebook page “Escaping Illinois” boasts nearly 50,000 followers and sells T-shirts, coffee mugs, baby onesies and other merchandise. Its posts often lament the state’s bleak finances.
Kathleen Reyes of Chicago took aim at the 50-member City Council. “Most aldermen have staffs of six to eight employees,” she wrote. “We’d save a fortune on salaries and benefits by cutting the City Council to 25 and cutting staffs to a reasonable number.”
Idealistic? Improbable? Say what you want, but these are necessary changes for a state not living within its means. As Illinois’ fiscal plight deepens, there’s been some nibbling around the edges of reform. The state recently consolidated hundreds of downstate and suburban police and fire pension funds into two statewide funds. McHenry County and DuPage County have made progress toward dissolving smaller governments within their boundaries.
Then there is what Mayor McCall of Cahokia and other realists are doing along the Mississippi River. On Election Day Nov. 3, the voters of Cahokia, Centreville and Alorton will decide whether to merge into one city. The survivor community would be called Cahokia Heights. Afterward, a local township might also be dissolved. The area is losing population and has a high percentage of residents living below the federal poverty line, the News-Democrat said. Consolidating government would save tax dollars and allow the larger community to qualify for more federal funds.
“If it’s going to help the residents of Cahokia, Centreville or Alorton, then I’m all for it because right now, our communities are dying,” McCall said. “These are communities of color and we need to do what we need to do to help these communities survive.”
Thank you, mayor, for doing what every elected government official in troubled Illinois, should be doing every day: Caring about people and responsible governance, not political fiefdoms.
Say goodbye, we hope, to Cahokia, Centreville and Alorton. Hello to Cahokia Heights and fiscal responsibility.
Editorials reflect the opinion of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board.
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