Danielle Rowe Calls for End to Legislative Pensions, Says Will Not Accept One, If Elected

Danielle Rowe gathering petitions signatures at Cary's Thornton's gas station. The petition was challenged by opponent David McSweeney, but she sustained her signatures and was put on the ballot by the State Board of Elections.

A press release from State Rep. candidate Danielle Rowe:

Rowe Calls for Passage of Pension Reform, Proposes Elimination of Legislator Pensions

Island Lake, IL – Candidate for State Rep in the 52nd district, Danielle Rowe, is calling for passage of pension reform legislation, and proposes eliminating legislator pensions.

Twelve days from now, the Illinois State Legislature will once again vote on Senate Bill 512 – legislation designed to protect the pensions that public employees have earned to date while implementing reforms that will put Illinois on the right track toward fiscal solvency. T

The vote comes on the heels of Illinois’ recent credit downgrade by Moody, which specifically cited the legislature’s failure to take steps to, “implement lasting solutions to its severe pension underfunding or to its chronic bill payment delays.”

Rowe is passionate about pension reform and is the only candidate who has committed to introduce legislation to eliminate legislator pensions all together:

“Pension reform must begin at the top, and real leaders lead by example.

“As State Representative, I will lead the charge on pension reform by refusing to accept a legislator pension.

“SB512 is a bill that our state needs if we’re going to see real reform in the public sector pension system, and Springfield needs to know that Illinois residents support this type of reform.

“Democrats across the state, including our very own Governor, support some limited version of pension reform, but fall short of committing to the types of significant changes that are required to make an impact.

“We can’t just talk about change – we need to make change happen.

“And it’s time that we had courageous leaders in Springfield that will make the tough decisions to bring about real reform to public sector pensions,” stated Rowe.

The Illinois Policy Institute’s analysis of the State’s pension woes reflect the sentiment of fiscal conservatives who long to see changes in our states economic policy:

“Until a mechanism that prevents irresponsible spending while protecting pension payments is put into place, Illinois will continue the long, slow economic decline that has been underway for over thirty years.

“The problem we are facing is an overly generous and unsustainable public pension system. SB512 addresses this discrepancy, but would affect only current workers’ accrued benefits going forward, not retroactively.”

Rowe strongly supports reforms outlined in this bill:

“We have a responsibility to keep the promises we made, but we also have a fiduciary responsibility to the taxpayers of this state to spend their money wisely.

“To date, our legislators’ excuse their inactivity on pension reform by claiming that the Illinois constitution forbids changes in an employee’s pension plan once they are enrolled.

“I find this unacceptable. The residents of Illinois deserve more accountable leadership than that.

“I am committed to being a leader in Springfield that will fight to reform public pensions and hold legislators accountable to the taxpayers they represent.”


Comments

Danielle Rowe Calls for End to Legislative Pensions, Says Will Not Accept One, If Elected — 4 Comments

  1. Our courageous leaders in Springfield need to start with they’re pension and benefits package.

    They need to stand up and show leadership by placing some burden of hardship on themselves like they freely do on the taxpayers.

    The word reform has taken on the meaning of “screw others but not yourself” just as the words supply and demand is a gentleman’s term for “manipulation and greed.”

    Look our leaders are fooling no one.

    Out with them all.

  2. You got my vote, Danielle, on that one item alone! We’ll see who else is brave enough to follow your lead.

  3. Gladfly,

    McSweeny said he would not accept the pension the day he announced.
    Danielle is a little late to the punch. But a least she is right on the issue.

  4. It doesn’t matter who beat who to the punch.

    Just “Getter done”

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