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| LIGHTFOOT: Wants state aid on pensions |
Oddly
enough, both officials issued canned statements where they both said the
meeting was “productive” without offering much of anything in the way of details.
WHICH
I SUSPECT really means the governor told Lightfoot something the equivalent of “drop
dead,” and waited until after she left the room before bursting out in
hysterics.
With
Lightfoot muttering under her breath at the lack of consideration she saw the
governor offering up aid to the state’s largest city.
For
what it’s worth, the city currently has pension funds that are about $28
billion underfunded. Which had various reports indicating that the mayor saw
the solution as having the state combine the city’s pension funds into the
funds that cover other municipal governments across Illinois.
In
short, the state would have taken on the city’s problems – with the city then
being allowed to use its sources of income to pay for other issues and problems
it would rather resolve instead.
IT
DOESN’T SEEM to be happening, although both officials feel the need for showing
a sense of decorum. Largely because both of the government officials carry the “D”
label following their names.
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| PRITZKER: How quickly did gov. say 'no' |
If
this were the “good ol’ days” of Democrat Rahm Emanuel and Republican Bruce
Rauner, the two of them would be dreaming up choice insults to toss in each
other’s direction. And you just know Rahm’s insults likely would have included
a borderline vulgarity or two.
Because
it really would be fantastical for anyone to think that Illinois state
government, which has financial dilemmas of its own, would have any willingness
to get itself into resolving a city government problem.
 |
| RAUNER: Would he have offered any aid? |
If
anything, I could envision that residents of the 96 counties outside of
metropolitan Chicago (who at most account for about one-third of the state’s
population) would be prepared to have a hissy-fit if Pritzker offered up any
sort of aid on this issue.
IN
FACT, I’VE heard so many tales throughout the years of the amount of aid the
state has had to provide to bail Chicago interests out of assorted problems
that I have no doubt any attempt to contemplate state aid to resolve a city
pension problem would run into serious political opposition that I’m sure
Pritzker would not want to have brought down upon himself.
Meaning
it was a fantasy, at best, to believe the state would be able to offer up much
help.
The
pension problems the city now faces are most likely going to be ones that will
dominate the Lightfoot Years, and may be what prevents her from being able to
afford the kinds of things that Mayor Lori would prefer to be doing so as to
build herself up a municipal legacy of significance.
One
other point I should note; it seems that both Lightfoot and Pritzker managed to
use an identical phrase – they “look forward to continuing to work together” on
various issues.
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| EMANUEL: How vulgar would his vocabulary become? |
AS
IN BOTH of them still plan to ask the other for many, more favors in the
future. They’re expecting that the “D” they
have in common will result in each of them having their phone calls to each
other returned.
They
both have to continue to deal with each other for the next few years.
So
Saturday’s meeting wasn’t of real significance. With the real story being what
was said immediately after the two met.
And
whether either one of these esteemed public officials said anything in private that
would top Rahm Emanuel’s vocabulary at its most vulgar.
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