Governor speaks candidly about upcoming election

Patrick Joseph Quinn III said he is confident he will be elected to a full term as Illinois’ governor this year and has already begun making long term plans to improve the state's economic condition.

For starters the Democratic governor wants to invest more in education. He is Illinois’ 41st governor.

“I want to put people to work. (And) jobs follow brain power,” Quinn told the Defender. “We have to spend money on education in an accountable way.”

Evidence of his commitment to education was demonstrated this month when he secured $200 million to increase funding for the Monetary Assistance Program, which helps roughly 138,000 lowincome college students pay for school. The budget for the program had been cut last year to $198 million from $380 million and could have forced many needy college students to sit out spring semester.

But beyond education, incumbent Quinn said the Feb. 2 primary represents more than just another election but an opportunity for voters to help put the state back on economic recovery.

“I have got to win this primary. There are too many problems that exist with our state and until they are fixed, Illinois will continue to struggle,” he said.

Among the state’s biggest problems are its $13 billion deficit and an inability to pay its bills on time. The state is roughly $5 billion behind in paying its bills and $1 billion is owed to schools.

A six-year, $31 billion capital budget will allow for the state to not only improve the roadways, such as the Eisenhower Expressways, but it will also help fund new school buildings, said Quinn.

Chicago State University, a South Side public university with a predominately Black student population, is among the institutions Quinn wants to see expanded.

“We have to invest in Chicago State University if we want to see it grow,” added Quinn.

Short of a capital budget Quinn said the short-term solution to its financial crisis is to borrow.

“I tried to borrow $500 million in December to help pay for social services (such as day cares and nursing homes) but Comptroller Dan Hynes (one of Quinn’s primary opponents) opposed it,” Quinn said. “However, we were successful at borrowing $3.4 billion this month and that helped us tremendously. When we do borrow we do it strategically.”

The bulk of the money ($2.4 billion) went toward pension fund obligations the state had been lagging on and the rest will be used to pay vendors, fund the MAP and pay other debts, according to Quinn.

Alan Henry, a spokesman for Hynes, said Hynes did oppose the $500 million borrowing plan in December, but did so because “the state cannot borrow its way out of its fiscal mess. The state's bill backlog could have been reduced months ago if the governor had not delayed action on the pension borrowing that was part of the original 2010 budget.”

The multi-billion dollar loan was arranged by Chicago-based Loop Capital LLC, a Black-owned investment firm.

Quinn, who was elevated to his current post from Lieutenant Governor Jan. 29, 2009, after former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached, said increasing the income tax is one way to bump up the state’s revenue stream. He added that the current income tax system allows for upper class earners ($100,000 and up) to pay less taxes while the middle-class and poor often pay more.

“Illinois' current tax system is a disgrace,” he said.

Quinn does not think gambling is a way to fix education and said he is open to making changes to the Illinois Lottery to get more than the current $600 million it generates for public education.