Rep. May's Informal Meeting Draws Large Crowd

(D-Highland Park) tried a new approach to reaching out to constituents Saturday at the , and was overwhelmed by the results.

May advertised “Meet Me For ‘Cuts & Coffee’” to her constituents, where she envisioned she would sit at a table in the library lobby, offer a cup of coffee and casually listen to ideas for the budget cuts the Illinois General Assembly must make. 

A line of people extending out the door awaited May when she arrived for the event, which then turned into a town hall style meeting in the auditorium. More than 50 people came with questions about , help for people with disabilities, public safety and business development. She listened to all of them and answered their questions. 

May began the meeting by explaining Illinois’ new approach to budgeting this year. The state has a finite amount of money to spend. Any additions to a program, she said, will come at the expense of something else. 

She also explained a program where the state will pay a reward to people who make cost-cutting suggestions that are accepted. With that, she was ready to listen. 

401(k) plans for public employees

A number of people suggested that the existing should be replaced with a 401(k) style program akin to the private sector. Others felt state employees should receive social security like “the rest of us” rather than state pensions. 

“Why are government employees different than we are?” asked Deerfield resident Morey Halperin of Deerfield. “Why not have them on social security like the rest of us?”

May explained that much of Illinois' public sector pension structure is constitutionally protected. While there have been proposals to put new employees on a 401(k) program rather than the defined benefit plan, a legal challenge is expected. She also has concerns about many of the people who receive benefits.

“We (state legislators) get the same pension as the people who sweep the floors and answer the phones,” May said. “I’m not so sure this (a 401(k) style plan) is the best thing for them.”

A number of people complained about the large public pensions a few people have received, including school superintendents and . 

Northbrook resident Phyllis Macmillan came to the meeting to listen but spoke up when the conversation turned to pension spiking. She has been teaching first grade in the Winnetka public schools for 43 years. 

“I have no intention of retiring,” Macmillan said to the group. “We work very hard and don’t get social security.”

She explained that teachers who work 36 years will receive 75 percent of their pay on retirement. They must wait until they are 67 before they can receive the maximum effect.

“There is no spiking.” 

Prison reform

Cutting public safety costs was another suggestion offered by members of the crowd. Steve Eiserman of Highland Park cited the high expense of maintaining prisoners. He mentioned successful programs in other states like New York, where crime dropped as well. 

“You could cut 15 to 20 percent,” Eiserman said. “It costs a great deal to maintain people in prison.”

 “We got rid of the overtime,” May said of prison costs. “We need to use a scalpel. When the governor tried to do something about this last year, it blew up in his face.” 

A suggestion then came from Peter Bensinger of Lake Forest. Bensinger is a former head of the Illinois Department of Corrections and former chief of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency. 

“If we have a good probation system, like in Lake County, it works,” Bensinger said of reducing the prison population. “We have to supervise people on probation. If we do that, they stay out of jail.” 

Bensinger explained probation is a legal remedy where certain offenders are supervised and not sent to prison. When the system does not work, which has been the case in an overwhelmed Cook County, according to Bensinger, crime and prison populations increase.

Ben Stevens of Lake Forest suggested abolishing the Illinois State Police. He suggested giving the responsibilities of patrolling highways to local sheriff’s police.

The response came from Bensinger, who explained that state police are involved in numerous crime task forces around Illinois and have other responsibilities beyond traffic enforcement. He thinks money can be saved instead by consolidating efforts of neighboring police and fire departments.

“You can meld what Deerfield and Bannockburn do,” Bensinger said. “You could merge the duties of two or three departments. This would take time, like six to eight years.” 

Cuts to the most vulnerable

Others were concerned with cuts for programs that fund people with disabilities, particularly those caring for disabled adults. Lisa Lew of Highland Park, who works in the field, said she would rather have disabled adults live at home than be institutionalized. 

“We need support for parents who would rather keep their children at home,” Lew said. “When you see parents who hope their disabled child passes away before they do, it is sad.” 

Reiterating what she said at the beginning of the meeting, May said that she wants to keep cuts from affecting people who need the government's help the most. 

“Some of these cuts could affect the most vulnerable among us,” May said. “We have to find ways to keep good programs going.” 

Chris Ende of Northbrook, the parent of a child with disabilities, echoed Lew’s concerns and drew applause when he thanked May for her vote to  early this year. 

“I want to thank you for your courageous vote increasing taxes,” Ende said. “It was something that had to be done.” 

Tom O’Connell, a Northbrook accountant, wanted to know what May was doing to create jobs in Illinois and further business development. 

“We are giving tax incentives for job creation,” May said. She expressed enthusiasm for entrepreneurial efforts in green technology. “We have to seed money to them.”