To inform voters and to help the baiduhai Editorial Board make endorsements, the board posed a series of questions to the candidates running for governor. See their answers below. See how other candidates answered here.
Candidate name: Scott Schluter
Running for: Governor
Residence: Marion
Current occupation: Mechanic
Previous political experience (elective and appointed positions): I was a candidate for office in 2016 and 2020 for State Rep in the 117th District. I was the political division director for the Libertarian Party of Illinois from 2014 through 2019. Since 2013, I have been the chair of the Southern Illinois Libertarian Party.
Education: I have 2 associate degrees from Southeastern Illinois College, I am ASE Master certified and have military experience.
Spouse’s occupation: No answer provided
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Sources of outside income: No answer provided
[Editorial: Tribune announces endorsement in GOP governor primary]
Questions with candidate’s answers
State budget figures put Illinois’ unfunded pension liabilities at roughly $130 billion earlier this year. That’s a massive deficit that wreaks havoc on the state’s long-term financial stability, and discourages employers from bringing jobs to Illinois. What should Illinois do to fix this problem?
The most pressing budget issue in Illinois is our growing pension crisis. In return for their years of dedicated service, public sector employees are thanked with empty promises; meanwhile, Illinois’ politicians leave the taxpayer with the burden of covering the deficit.
The pension fund for Illinois lawmakers is the most bankrupt in the nation. Lawmakers often cite union push-back as the reason they can’t enact broader pension reform. What is stopping them from reforming their own pension system? When elected I will insist that my colleagues in the General Assembly lead by example and close this pension system.
If legislators insist on taxpayer-funded retirement benefits, I will fight for the state to adopt a self-managed plan such as a 401(k) to replace the General Assembly’s pension system.
Illinois must also honor its contractual obligations to current and former state employees. At the same time, Government workers should not be forced to pay into an insolvent, politician-controlled pension that may not be around when it is time for them to retire.
The only way to get a handle on our growing pension liability is to transition state pensions to the private economy. When elected, I will work with legislators to build a plan that will honor current contracts, while phasing out the public pension system by offering only 401(k) or similar private plans to new hires, giving current employees the freedom to leave the pension systems and save for retirement through a self-managed plan, offering an optional 401(k) to current employees and optional buy-out at 60 percent, an ensuring that former employees would continue to receive the original pension benefits with an option for a buy-out at 60 percent.
Illinois teachers are supposed to put away 9.4 percent of their earnings into their pension savings, but in most school districts across the state, this does not happen. Instead, local taxpayers pick up that tab as a collectively bargained contract perk. Eliminating this practice could save Illinois taxpayers upwards of $430 million a year. When elected, I will work to put local pension costs back where they belong.
These are just a few of the measures my administration will push for if elected.
Do you support establishing a pension reform referendum that would ask voters to amend the Illinois constitution to allow a reduction of future benefit growth to levels that the state can afford, while keeping current earned benefits untouched? Please explain why or why not.
I would support establishing a pension reform referendum that, if passed, amends the Illinois constitution to reform the current system while allowing current pensions to keep their benefits. I support any step in the right direction. Solving the pension crisis is the key to making Illinois an attractive place to live and work.
The Michael Madigan indictment highlighted the need for genuine ethics reform in Springfield that restores Illinois citizens’ confidence in government, and prevents the abuses of power that have become all too common in the state capital, and have persisted for decades. What is your vision for meaningful, lasting ethics reform in state governance?
Last October’s ethics reform signed into law by Governor Pritzker is a good step in the right direction but it doesn’t go far enough. I would push for a three year “cooling off” period at all levels of Illinois government. My vision for lasting ethics reforms also includes giving the legislative inspector general power to issue to issue subpoenas and whatnot without getting the okay from the Legislative Ethics Commission, adding a non-lawmaker ninth member to the Legislative Ethics Commission, and having candidates disclose the financial interests of their immediate family on their Statement of Economic Interest document.
Do you support making possible a referendum that would ask voters to approve a state constitutional amendment overhauling redistricting in Illinois by creating an independent citizens commission to oversee the decennial remap process? Please explain your answer.
The districts our leaders in Springfield carve out are ridiculously gerrymandered and serve to secure to power of incumbents. I would support a referendum to amend the state constitution to create independent citizens commission to supervise the Illinois’ remapping process. The constituents should pick their leaders. The current gerrymandering scheme in Illinois has leaders choosing their constituents.
Illinois has the second highest real estate property taxes in the country. Please lay out two ways that the state can provide a measure of relief to Illinois homeowners and citizens, and please be specific with your answer.
To say that Illinois’ property taxes are oppressive is an understatement. Two ways the state can provide a measure of relief to homeowners is require local government bodies reform their pension systems toward a self-managed 401(k) plan as described above and place a cap on all property taxes. These out-of-control pensions are a large reason for the high taxes. Additionally, I would work to remove any financial onuses placed on local governments by Springfield that they cannot afford.
Runaway inflation continues to be a major source of concern for Illinois families. What specific measures should be undertaken at the state government level to help Illinois citizens and families cope with rising inflation that is causing undue economic hardship?
As Governor, I would use every opportunity available to me to explain why inflation exists, who is responsible, and why sound money is important for financial stability. I would use my platform to ask all Illinoisans put pressure on our Congressional delegation to audit the Federal Reserve. I would also work to cut as many taxes as possible, starting with sales tax on essentials and work to remove barriers that impede on businesses getting off the ground.
What should Illinois do to improve job growth across the state. Please be specific with your answer.
Improving job growth across Illinois requires freeing the economy. This will require several steps, including eliminating waste, ensuring a balanced budget, repealing the income tax, and reforming occupational licensure.
Illinois politicians are burying our children in debt. One of the rallying cries of the Revolutionary War was, “no taxation without representation”. Think about the morality of our debt situation in those terms. The youth of today will have to pay for things that they had absolutely no say in. If this is not taxation without representation, I don’t know what it is.
We must take action, and stop the practice of burdening our children with the consequences of our mistakes. The best way to reduce deficits and begin fixing our budget mess is to eliminate wasteful state agencies and services that can be better managed by localities and private enterprise, and to sell their assets to provide vital tax relief to families. This will put us on the track to fiscal responsibility. When elected, I will work with the legislature and Secretary of State to eliminate waste from our state budget.
Extending the debt ceiling or raising taxes so we can increase spending is the definition of irresponsible government. The only way we’re going to prevent bankruptcy is to drastically reduce the size, scope, and role of government. When elected, I will work with legislators to add language to the Illinois Constitution that requires a balanced budget.
To pay for their political schemes, our elected officials continue to increase taxes. Of all the forms of taxation, the income tax is the most egregious. It penalizes those who work harder, taking their money before it even hits their bank account. If elected, I vow to veto any piece of legislation that raises taxes, and to prioritize legislation that repeals the Illinois income tax.
In Illinois, a cosmetologist has more training hours required than a paramedic. This makes no sense, and is yet another example of how the Illinois economy is held hostage by lawmakers. Occupational licensing is a barrier to entry into the marketplace, and disproportionately harms the poor. When elected, I will work with legislators and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) to reform occupational licensing.
Additionally, nursing requirements were relaxed during the pandemic. Practicing nurses should not have to retake exams in order to continue serving patients in our communities. When elected, I will work with legislators to close this gap, and protect health care workers in Illinois from any additional licensing requirements.
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Freeing our economy will make it more attractive to employers and investors.
Census 2020 figures show that Illinois was just one of three states in the country to lose population over the previous decade. That cost the state a congressional seat. All but 15 of Illinois’ 102 counties lost population, according to the census. What should Illinois do to turn this trend around?
Families are leaving Illinois because this state has been our leaders in Springfield continue to make it hard for us to thrive. If we want families to live and grow in our state, then we must cut taxes and red tape to make it affordable and easy to raise a family and open up shop.
In March, Department of Children and Family Services Director Marc Smith was cited an eighth time on a contempt of court order for failing to appropriately place a teen who was in the agency’s care into the proper setting. What should be done to address the agency’s shortage of proper shelter for children in DCFS care? What other reforms do you believe are needed at DCFS?
Human beings are imperfect and thus government processes will also be imperfect. That is why there must be safeguards in place when the government is involved in caring for our most vulnerable children. DCFS should never, under any circumstance, allow children to remain one day longer in any facility where they are not required to stay. This hurts the child and costs taxpayers. DCFS needs to follow every order to find placement for our children. We must decentralize the institution in a way that incentivizes working with local community organizations, who know the children of that community better than any Springfield bureaucrat, to find loving families for our foster children. Impersonal bureaucracy creates a culture of indifference, allowing children to slip through the cracks of our system.
Rising violent crime continues to be Chicago’s top priority. Numbers of homicides, shootings and carjackings are all unacceptably high. What should Springfield do to help reverse the rise in violent crime in Chicago and elsewhere in metro region and state?
The violence in Chicago and other places is largely a byproduct of drug prohibition. The black market trade is dominated by syndicates that are territorial and settle disputes by violent means. While I do not condone drug abuse by adults or children, I would rather recreational drugs be legalized and regulated than continue to fuel gang violence and waste more tax dollars incarcerating non-violent people. As we saw after the end of alcohol prohibition in 1933, violence in Chicago plummeted. To reverse the recent rise in violent crime in Illinois, Springfield should decriminalize all drugs and legitimize the sale and distribution thereof. I suspect that violence will again plummet as we saw last century.
Also, I suspect much of the recent rise in crime has a lot to do with the economic downturn in the wake of the pandemic. Springfield must immediately cut as many taxes as possible and make it easier than ever for businesses to get off the ground. If people are thriving, then they are less likely to resort to desperate measures to keep themselves alive.
Finally, I would encourage all Illinoisans to exercise their right to self-defense and deter crime by taking responsibility for their protection for themselves.
Give us your assessment of the overhaul of the state’s criminal justice system that was passed by the General Assembly in January 2021. Will it help or hinder efforts to rein in crime? In your answer, please indicate whether you support or oppose the provision within that legislation that abolishes cash bail in 2023, and explain the rationale for your viewpoint on that provision.
The Safe T Act has good and not so good aspects. First off, I’m in favor of ending cash bail for certain offenses, as it is essentially a tax on the poor. Holding people who can’t afford bail for non-violent offenses prevents them from providing for their families. I am also for more refined police training and body cam, though local governments shouldn’t not be forced to utilize them if they cannot afford the technology. It is yet to be seen if it will help or hinder efforts to curb crime, but we shall see.
Give us the best example of when you displayed independence from your party or staked out an unpopular position.
I am always outspoken on matters of Libertarian Party leadership. I will call out the bad when I see and offer praise when deserved. In one particular instance, I led Illinois in condemning inflammatory remarks made a national committee member about military veterans. Such remarks are damaging to our candidates, volunteers, and donors. While I certainly welcome bold, constructive messaging that describes the Libertarian position, I do not welcome incendiary messaging or edge-lording that seeks to anger and alienate voters.
Sum up why should voters elect you and not your opponent(s).
Voters should elect me and not my opponents because my platform is the best for moving Illinois forward. I am not an out-of-touch billionaire nor do I wish to drive a wedge by exploiting explosive cultural issues. I’m a working father with skin in the game. My plan of tax cuts, pension reform, and licensure reform is the best path forward to unleashing prosperity and continuing Illinois’ legacy as a hub of innovation.