By IRN/Dave Dahl
SPRINGFIELD – Everybody’s for police officers and fire fighters. Aren’t they?
Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he is for increased pensions for those who run toward danger while others run from it, but he vetoed a bill allowing those increased pensions because of another thing he says he’s for: more local control.
The bill allowed municipalities to vote to move police officers and fire fighters into a different pension plan, and Rauner’s veto message says it’s the public – not a city council – which should decide.
The employees “would transfer from IMRF (Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund) to SLEP – the Sheriff’s Law Enforcement (Personnel) program,” says one of the sponsors, State Rep. Al Riley. “This would have applied to fire fighters and police offiers who came in under the Tier II retirement system.”
As for the argument about local control, “You can’t have ‘local control’ when it just benefits you,” says Riley. “The (leaders of the) municipality is acting as a proxy of the people who elected them.”
Riley said it’s possible lawmakers will try to override the veto.
