Chicago City Wire

Gov. Bruce Rauner wrapped up a two-day tour of the state recently after riding from town to town on a message of reform.

His trip began in suburban Chicago, where Rauner spoke at a factory, and progressed to Rockford, Peoria and Springfield. The next day, he moved to Quincy, East Alton, Marion and Robinson.

Throughout the tour, Rauner focused on a balanced budget and economic growth.

Illinois has been operating on a stopgap budget for more than 20 months, with lawmakers in Springfield unable to agree on how the state should eliminate its $6 billion deficit. While spending is reaching $38 billion, revenue is approximately $32 billion. 

The General Assembly’s Democratic majority is pushing for that gap to be bridged through tax increases and higher revenue, while Republicans, including Rauner, are demanding reform to make government more efficient, reduce spending and promote economic growth.

Rauner promoted many elements of his "Turnaround Agenda" during his tour, such as imposing term limits on politicians and reforming the state’s redistricting processes. He also advocated for a property tax freeze, arguing that it would make the state more business-friendly and drive job growth.

His agenda also includes local government consolidation, which he says could lead to reduced taxes.

While Rauner sang the state’s praises, he also noted that Illinois has a lower job growth rate than any neighboring state: In the past 17 years, Illinois has lost approximately 300,000 manufacturing jobs and had no net job growth, he said. State government spending increased by 66 percent in that time, he added.

“The only way to get the balanced budget is to get the economy growing faster than our government spending," Rauner says in a video on his YouTube channel. "We’ve got to grow more jobs. Companies want to come here; they want to be here, but we’ve got to change the system. That’s what we’re fighting to do. That’s what this battle’s about: job growth, a property tax freeze and balancing the budget.”

Rauner’s tour corresponded to the apparent death of a "grand bargain" budget in the Senate. The deal, which looked to combine reform with increased revenue, stalled as Republican Senators demanded more reform than Democrats were willing to give. In the House, the Democratic majority passed a partisan measure to create a new stopgap budget recently.

While Rauner maintained his anti-tax position on his tour, he did indicate room for negotiation, saying that not every measure in his "Turnaround Agenda" needs to be approved: just enough to make a difference in the state’s economic outlook.

The tour drew fire from some Democrats, like gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker, according to a US News article. Detractors accused Rauner of running a campaign event when he should be working to move the General Assembly toward a budget agreement. Rauner, who has not yet announced his bid for re-election, classified the tour as a political event not funded by taxpayers.

Speaking often in factories and manufacturing facilities, Rauner emphasized that his efforts were on behalf of Illinoisans and ensuring future prosperity for the state.

“I want them to have higher family incomes," he said. "I want all of you to have a better future. I want your children to have great schools, and I want your salaries to go up."