Director's Desk
KENNETH A. ALDERSON, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Governor Jim Edgar announces his support of SJRCA 76
to the IML Board of Directors in Springfield.
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R to L, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Frank Watson,
IML Past President Jim Kingston, Mayor of Paxton, and
IML Executive Director Kenneth A. Alderson prepare to testify
before the Senate Executive Committee.
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The Unfunded Mandates Constitutional Amendment is gaming momentum by the hour! As we near the
passage deadline of May 3, a tremendous amount of
time and energy is being devoted by IML membership,
staff, other local officials and associations from across
the state to getting the Amendment approved by the
General Assembly and placed on the November ballot.
I am pleased to inform you that Governor Jim Edgar, Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley and State
Comptroller Loleta Didrickson have joined us in our
effort and are in strong support of SJRCA 76.
Governor Edgar, in addressing the IML Board of
Directors at the Spring Board Meeting, March 29, stated
he is "100% in support of the Constitutional Amendment. We at the state level shouldn't pass our problems
on to you," the Governor said. "I want to make it crystal
clear I won't allow unfunded mandates in Illinois."
Mayor Daley, in a letter to members of the Senate
Executive Committee, said "Unfunded mandates cannot be ignored ... I believe we now have to focus on this
issue at the state and municipal and county levels of
government. I think SJRCA 76 addresses the problem
. . . .If the state is not going to pay for responsibilities it
passes on to the City (my city and others), Cook County
and other units of local government, an extraordinary
majority for passage of a state cost enactment should be
required .... I believe SJRCA 76 restores a needed
constitutional state/local fiscal relationship."
At the IML's Unfunded Mandates Day legislative
briefing, Comptroller Didrickson (see this month's
"Comptroller's Corner" on page 9) told assembled municipal officials "Local government is in the best position to deliver services, but we must remember good
ideas come with a price tag. As these regulations are
being passed down, there is extra pressure being put on
an already over-burdened property tax system. We
need to limit legislating these good ideas to the local
level without providing the funding and that's why I'm
supporting SJRCA 76," she said.
The Municipal League is grateful to Governor Edgar, Mayor Daley and Comptroller Didrickson for their
support and leadership. We look forward to their help
during the upcoming critical weeks of Senate and
House deliberation.
Since my last column, we have taken the unfunded
mandate message to every corner of the state. We recently completed a series of news conferences in Carbondale, Edwardsville, Quincy, Jacksonville, Rock Island, Freeport, Decatur, Bloomington, Macomb and
Peoria. Our sincere thanks to President Creg Sparrow
and First Vice President Frank Clinton for sharing traveling duties. Also I want to express our gratitude to the
following host mayors who delivered a crowd of local
officials at each stop:
Carbondale — Carbondale Mayor Neil Dillard, Murphysboro Mayor David McDowell, Mt. Vernon
Mayor Rolland Lewis and Salem Mayor Leonard
Ferguson
Edwardsville — Edwardsville Mayor Gary Niebur and
Swansea Village President Michael Buehlhorn
April 1996 / Illinois Municipal Review / Page 5
Quincy - Quincy Mayor Charles Scholz, Pittsfield
Mayor Rick Conner and Barry Mayor Ed Venicornbe
Jacksonville — Jacksonville Mayor Ron Tendick
Rock Island — Rock Island Mayor Mark Schwiebert,
Hampton Village President Scott Newberg, Moline
Mayor Stan Leach and East Moline Mayor Bill
Ward
Freeport — Freeport Mayor Dick Weis, Galena Mayor
Gary Bartell, Oregon Mayor Jim Barnes, Savanna
Mayor Eugene Flack, Mt. Carroll Mayor Marilyn
Magill, Lena Village President Willard Benninger
and Stockton Village President Robert Hess
Decatur — Decatur Mayor Terry Howley
Bloomington — Bloomington Mayor Jesse Smart, Pontiac Mayor Michael Ingles and Lexington Mayor
Frank Feigl "
Macomb — Macomb Mayor Tom Carper and Galesburg Mayor Fred Kimble
Peoria — Peoria Mayor James Maloof and Pekin Mayor
David Tebben
I would like to thank all the municipal officials and
officials from county and township government, park
districts and school districts who took time off from
their jobs to join us at the news conferences and make
their voices heard.
In addition to the news conferences, IML representatives testified in March before the Senate Executive
Committee in Springfield and Chicago on SJRCA 76.
Our thanks to Assistant Senate Majority Leader Frank
Watson, sponsor of our legislation, IML President Greg
Sparrow and Past President James Kingston, Mayor of
Paxton, for representing us so ably before the Committee.
Our Legislative Reception and Unfunded Mandates
Day lobbying effort were a major success as hundreds
of you gave up your time to come to Springfield and
talk face-to-face with your legislators. I can't tell you
how important your personal involvement is in securing
passage of the Constitutional Amendment.
You have probably heard our radio ads which have
been airing all over Illinois in recent weeks. From the
number of calls we are receiving, it appears our message is getting across. As you read this our television ads
should be airing in your community.
As we enter the remaining weeks of Session, much
has been accomplished and much remains yet to be
done. As you read this, SJRCA 76 will hopefully be out
of the Senate Executive Committee and before the full
Senate. It must pass in the Senate and then go through
the same process in the Illinois House by May 3 to be
placed on the November ballot.
We need your full participation now as we enter this
critical stage. Please continue to call or write your legislators and urge them to support SJRCA 76. Ask your
citizens to also contact their legislators. Don't forget to
let your local media know how you feel about this
important issue. Together, we will make the Unfunded
Mandates Constitutional Amendment a reality! •
Page 6 / Illinois Municipal Review / April 1996
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