Doug Jameson sees a silver-lining in all the dysfunction now crippling the City of Harvey's government.
“It tells the state everything about where we don’t want to be,” Jameson told the Metro East Sun. “Now more than ever, that lets us know that we have to get this pension system crisis under control.”
The City of Harvey recently moved to layoff at least 30 police and firefighters, with CBS reporting more pink slips could be coming after a recent court decision ordered the city to make pension payments it can no longer afford and frequently haven’t fully made for more than a decade now.
Doug Jameson
“Maybe the answer lies in us starting to look at things like 401(k) plans for state workers,” Jameson, a Belleville Republican challenging Rep. Jay Hoffman (D-Swansea) in the 113th District, said. “I think that’s the direction we have to start moving in instead of all this being funded by property taxes. At some point, we’re going to have to take some steps that may be painful to some. With these dire straits, we really don’t have much choice.”
Jameson said the policies now coming from Springfield, under the direction of longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago), are averse to what the state needs to be doing to get back on track.
Still, he said he tells residents not to turn their backs on the state.
“We have to remain hopeful while taking methodical steps and planning our way out of this mess,” he said. “Under Madigan, we’re losing more tax base because these policies are inducing greater stress and more outstanding debt. I’ve said it before, Springfield really needs to get its act together and fast.”
The 113th House District includes all or parts of Belleville, Swansea, Fairview Heights, Washington Park, Fairmont City, Caseyville, Madison and Granite City.
Alerts Sign-up