Quinn To Start A "Grassroots Campaign" For Pension Reform

By Chuck Sudo in News on Aug 20, 2012 7:30PM

No one expected Springfield lawmakers to reach a deal on pension reform during last Friday's special session, although they were near unanimous in their expulsion of former state Rep. Derrick Smith. Since Gov. Pat Quinn called the special session to vote on pension reform—piggybacking on the special session called by House Speaker Michael Madigan to oust Smith—both Democrats and Republicans now have a scapegoat for not reaching a deal in Quinn.

Nearly every major power broker in the State Legislature blamed Quinn’s “lack of leadership” for failing to reach a deal on pension reform Friday. House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) said pension reform was “not a game.”

“There is a better place to start than zero,” Currie said.

Rep. Dan Biss (D-Evanston) said after the session ended, “we all look like idiots” while Rep Greg Harris said Quinn’s efforts to even pass a watered down version of pension reform was “window dressing for political campaigns.” Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont said the failure to reach a pension deal reflected a “catastrophic failure of leadership” by Quinn.

With his back against the wall, Quinn told reporters Friday that he’ll take his push for pension reform to Illinois taxpayers if the General Assembly can’t (or won’t) reach a deal.
“If they can’t do it on their own, we’re gonna help them do it with the people of Illinois,” Quinn said. How this grassroots movement Quinn is planning will motivate a voting public apathetic to any real movement by, let along change in, state government is yet to be known. But Quinn said his campaign for pension reform will last “as long as it takes” to see what he said what he’s “put on this earth to solve” through.