Lieutenant Governor hopefuls defend their running mates’ stance on the issues.
It’s not healthcare or even the nearly 11 percent unemployment rate choking the state that’s at the forefront of a tight race for Illinois’ top spots. But when it comes to fixing the state’s $13 billion deficit, appetites for argument are edacious. While both gubernatorial candidates agree the state must exercise fiscal responsibility, parties are divided between Democrats’ solution of a personal income tax increase from three to four percent and Republicans’ overall spending cut of ten percent, a cut GOP State Senator Bill Brady claims may mean deeper reductions in some areas and increased spending in others. Governor Pat Quinn plans to raise the corporate rate from 4.8 to 5.8 percent, a plan he says will generate $2.8 billion per year to forestall massive cuts in education spending. Candidates for Lieutenant Governor are sounding back their party ambitions, touting truth and transparency at the heart of their campaigns.

Solving the Problem
Quinn, 61, says raising income taxes is in voters’ best interest. The governor, who released a statement last spring asking the public for ideas on how best to decrease the deficit, claims the state has lost over $1 billion to pay for the budget. “If we don’t raise income taxes to help pay for education, we’ll see at least 17,000 Illinois teachers laid off.”
Such may be the case for Illinois. The Economic Stimulus Bill signed into law in February of last year allotted states billions of dollars in education funding—a shot in the arm from the federal government. Once the stimulus money disappears, states lacking the money to continue proper education funding will most likely see class sizes double as more and more teachers receive pink slips.
Shelia Simon, the Democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor, calls the income tax increase “the right thing” for the people of Illinois. “It will help to get the state budget in order.”
Simon, a 49-year-old university law school professor and former Carbondale City Council member, says a responsible budget is one way to demonstrate that elected leaders can focus on the long-term public good instead of the short-term acquisition of power. “The Democratic Party has the opportunity to show that kind of leadership and restore public confidence in government.”
But Jason Plummer, the Lieutenant Governor hopeful from Edwardsville running on the Republican ticket, says an income tax increase is akin to Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity.
“If you look at the budget deficit and you look at the spending over the last eight years and the fact that 200,000 jobs have been lost under Governor Quinn, you can see that increasing taxes in this climate will drive more people and more businesses out of the state. A tax increase doesn’t solve the problem, and it does nothing to address the tough issues of the day. We’re seeing people leave this state because they don’t have the fiscal discipline they need in Springfield to create opportunity. Raising taxes will do absolutely no good without cutting spending.”
Increasing the tax base, Plummer says, will generate more economic activity. “That’s how you solve the problem.”

Ready for the Job
Although seeming to have a solid handle on the issues, Plummer has been the target of criticism concerning his age and supposed lack of experience. Should Brady win the governor’s chair and something happen to him in office, the State of Illinois would be in the hands of a twenty-eight-year-old newcomer to the political arena. But State Representative Dave Winters says Plummer will learn the ropes during the campaign.
State Senator Matt Murphy, who finished second to Plummer in the primary, also says he believes the candidate is qualified.
Plummer insists he’s ready, pointing to his experience as an intelligence office in the naval reserves and as Vice President for corporate development at R.P. Lumber, his family-owned company for which he will continue to work during the campaign.
“I’ve worked as an executive at my family’s business, and I’d gladly match my leadership skills and experience up to most anybody’s.”
Plummer also served as an intern for Senator Peter Fitzgerald and the Heritage Foundation, the conservative public policy institute. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois where he graduated in 2005.

Tough Questions
Accusations from the Quinn campaign on failings to release income tax returns created a temporary nodus for the Republican side, although both Brady and Plummer have managed to parry the tough questions. Brady, who initially refused to release his returns, faced harsh criticism after his release revealed he did not pay returns for the past two years. Plummer has defended withholding his returns, abnegating the relevance of such accusations.
“As I say to people: I’ve never voted for someone based on what they do for a living,” he says, calling the governor’s accusations a “political ploy,” “misleading” and “ingenuous.”
The GOP candidate plumply pointed to the fact that Quinn has never requested individuals in state positions with “much more influence in leadership” than he to disclose their returns. “Why hasn’t he asked the leadership of his party to show their tax return documents—the people in the State House of Representatives and the Senate?”
Both Quinn and Sheila Simon have released their tax returns. Quinn says Plummer’s failure to release the documents should be a signal to voters of the legerdemain dominating the Republican campaign. “I think there’s legitimate questions to be asked,” he says.
But more informative, Plummer says, is the statement of economic interest, which everyone who runs for office is required to submit. The statement lists the entities and investments each candidate holds as well as relationships with businesses and lobbyists.
“This will tell you more about a candidate’s background than a tax return,” according to Plummer.
But what the statement doesn’t list are the numbers, and any voter searching for a candidate’s earnings is sheer out of luck. Still, Plummer says he refuses to have his ethics questioned by “an enabler of Rod Blagojevich.” “I’ve been complimented on my demonstrated leadership in transparency and ethics.”

Doing What it Takes
Despite recent hecklings, myrmidons and members of the party faithful are sure to turn out the votes this November whether or not income tax returns are made public. The Republican hopeful for the state’s second-in-command says he has big plans for the office.
“Since the beginning of the primary I’ve always said there’s a huge opportunity to utilize the Lieutenant Governor’s office and have a positive impact on the state. I’m going to elevate the office. I’m going to focus on issues where the state is struggling and use the resources of the office to create a business-friendly environment to bring jobs back to the state. We need to get people working again. Then we’ll see most of our problems go away.”
Springfield needs quality jobs, a safe community and good educational opportunities for children, according to Plummer. The job issue, he says, is “the most pressing issue” in the state. “I’ve worked in dozens of communities. I know what it takes to get the private sector turned around. I know what it takes to get businesses up and running.”
Illinois workers want someone who can “roll up their sleeves, take the bull by the horns and get some work done,” says Plummer, noting his understanding of “the economic and business environment and how to work with people.”
“I went to county after county. I’ve spoken with coal miners and civic leaders. I’ve criss-crossed the state. What’s sad about Illinois is that we have more in terms of agriculture, huge coal reserves, rivers and railroads than a lot of other states, but we’re in the bottom two in every economic category. I ran in the primary to change that.”
For more information on Jason Plummer for Lieutenant Governor visit http://jasonplummer.com.