Nekritz Says State Budget Cuts Necessary to Fight Deficit

Democrat incumbent Elaine Nekritz is willing to cut funding in education and for state employee travel to balance the state's budget. Nekritz has represented the 57th District, which includes parts of Glenview, Northbrook, Prospect Heights and Des Plaines, since 2001.

"I try to be very honest with people about how the realities are for closing the budget, and even if they aren't messages that people want to hear, it needs to be said," Nekritz told Patch in a phone interview.

Nekritz, a former real estate attorney, said she is willing to go against her party to best help the community. Aside from being the head sponsor for $600 million worth of budget cuts, she sees great revenue potential in local freight and rail development.

"The electorate would like to see problems solved, and government taking steps toward solving the problem," she said of her financial plans.

"I am willing to take on a cause because I think it's worthwhile. I'm willing to stand for my principles."

Patch: What strengths, expertise and skills do you have that would enable you to show leadership in this office?  

Elaine Nekritz: I think what has kept me elected is that I am responsive to constituents, and thorough and thoughtful in the work that I do in Springfield. I'm also out in the community a lot.

In terms of the larger picture, the budget is an issue that we didn't have last time. The great recession we're now in was just starting in September and October last election, and hadn't hit the state revenues in the way it has now. That's a huge change in terms of local issues.

Patch: In what way should the State of Illinois pay its bills and balance its budget? What's the fiscal landscape right now for your district?

Nekritz: We need a long-term plan. We have to make some difficult cuts. We have to reform the way we deliver services, and we can't exclude evidence. I try to be very honest about the need for cuts, and the need to utilize every fiscal tool that we have—it can't be avoided. This hole is so big.

Patch: Does the state have to consider raising taxes? If so, which taxes and how much? What would you do with the revenue?

Nekritz: I don't. Revenues have to be part of the solution. I don't know what they'd be specifically, but I think everything's under consideration. We've not been successful in passing anything yet, so I can't predict what might happen.

Money has to go to closing the budget hole we have unpaid, needs in human services that we're not meeting. We have 27,000 developmentally disabled in the Illinois not getting services. These are people that—I think we all agree—are government's responsibilities.

The reality of where we are with our unpaid bills has to hit home. These are not problems can't be put off; they have to be addressed.

Patch: Where would you cut spending?

Nekritz: There was a group of 10 legislators who came together in May before the budget was adopted to try to cut some things. We had more than $1.3 billion that we proposed to cut. We had amendments to the budget that we prepared and took to the committee with the assistance of House leadership, but with one exception, we couldn't get them out of committee.

I'm on record with supporting a whole range of things: from cuts in education to travel budgets for state employees.

Patch: What would you favor to create jobs in Illinois? Are there industries you want to expand to in the area?

Nekritz: I'm a big advocate for freight and rail development in our area. In addition there's freight warehousing and logistics jobs. There are tens of thousands of jobs to have.

The stimulus contains a significant amount of funding for those jobs.

Patch: How would you retain businesses in Illinois, and attract new businesses?

Nekritz: Having a stable state budget and a government that doesn't seem to foster corruption would go a long way towards making Illinois attractive to business.

Patch: What measures do you endorse to end Illinois' culture of corruption?  Would you support campaign disclosure laws?  

Nekritz: We have pretty good disclosure relative to other states. I would like to see a greater movement toward spending limits for campaigns. I think that's more effective than contribution limits.  We'd do that through voluntary public financing. The public may not be wild about it, but if you can limit the amount of spending that way, I think ultimately it benefits the public during campaign season, especially in terms of governing.

Patch: You've been endorsed as an independent Democrat. What does that mean given the push for bipartisanship under the Obama administration?

Whatever that means in terms of its partisanship isn't something I worry about. I have stood up to my leadership in a very significant way, and frankly, lived to tell about it.

Stay tuned for more 2010 election coverage from Patch.