Rutherford Leads by Example

Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford

Anyone who says there is no additional fat to trim out of state government should take a cue from State Treasurer Dan Rutherford. A letter from his office to legislators (that was printed on reconstituted letterhead of the previous state treasurer) announced major cut backs last week. Rutherford has eliminated half of the vehicle fleet owned by the State Treasurer’s office and almost three-quarters of office cell phones. This action follows Rutherford’s closing of six field offices and support to consolidate the Treasurer’s and Comptroller’s offices.

Rutherford says these spending reductions are a continuation of his mission to streamline the office, control the use of taxpayer dollars, and find creative ways to make state government work more efficiently.

I applaud the Treasurer for not just paying lip service to his vow of cutting state government waste. We can only hope that his actions serve as a prod for others in government to take the same approach. We have made some progress by passing legislation in the House to cut legislative salaries by 10 percent (HB 2891) and reign in state expenses by working in a bipartisan manner using realistic budget figures.

This is the last week to pass House bills over to the Senate so I expect long days and fast moving debate.  House Appropriation Committees will also finalize their proposal for FY2012 spending this week before the Spring Break.  Call if you have opinions on specific bills.

Observations and comments about state government by State Representative Robert W. Pritchard. District Office 815-748-3494 or E-Mail to bob@pritchardstaterep.com