On the Illinois side of the Quad-Cities, the only local contested race for the State House of Representatives is for the 72nd district, which covers a large portion of the urban areas of Rock Island County. The incumbent Democrat representative, Gregg Johnson, is facing Republican challenger Charlie Helmick. Here are the candidates’ responses to editorial board questions.

How should Illinois address its chronically underfunded pension system?

Gregg C. Johnson: For decades, lawmakers shorted yearly pension payments, which created the funding issues we are addressing today. Public employee pensions are protected by the Illinois Constitution and any realistic solution must focus on properly funding the system – rather than some of the unconstitutional fantasies that have been proposed. In recent years, we have dramatically improved Illinois’ fiscal status, earning several credit rating upgrades. A large part of that success has come from paying pension payments in full, and when possible, early, to save taxpayer dollars in the long term. The path to long-term fiscal stability requires financial discipline year after year – this situation was created over 40-plus years of mismanagement and it will take years to solve. Illinois has been moving in the right direction, but we have a long way to go.

Charlie Helmick: The unfunded pension liability crisis in Illinois is the worst in the nation. Illinois is $140 billion in the red, this is the fault of politicians of both parties not addressing the problem. Pritzker’s bloated budget of 2024, $53.1 billion, had $11.6 billion, some 20 percent, having to go to pensions. We must keep obligations to all workers who signed up for the current system, going forward only a defined contribution approach, not a defined benefit, should be in place for new state hires.

Rather than "squander" those savings, I would dedicate a chunk toward property tax relief. Specifically, in any year that required pension spending drops below 25% of total general funds spending, an amount equal to a quarter of the drop would automatically be used to reduce property taxes.

This would ensure as the pension payment drops, so would the overall property tax burden.

Keeping commitments, reducing duties obligations, and property tax relief, are the principles I support on this issue.

What changes would you like to see in the higher education model in Illinois?

Gregg C. Johnson: Higher education must become more affordable and accessible to students. The cost of college has exploded over the years, pricing out too many Illinois students. In the short term, MAP grants and other tuition assistance programs are a vital bridge, but Illinois must address the root causes of rising higher education costs. Lowering barriers to entry for Illinois colleges expands enrollment, which leads to more college graduates remaining in Illinois to start their families and grow our economy. However, college isn’t the right path for every person. We need to ensure that students have a full range of non-college career options that can sustain a middle-class family by expanding apprenticeship programs and better educating young people about their options. I was proud to sponsor and pass Workplace Readiness Week, which helps prepare high school students for the workforce with practical knowledge and detailed information about career opportunities available immediately after graduation.

Charlie Helmick: According to the Illinois Policy Institute, the state of Illinois allocates $530 million less than the inflation-affected amount of 2009. However, in this same time period, the pension liability for university employees rose a whopping $687 million in the same time frame.

The result of this far out-of-balance situation is that 11 of 12 Illinois four-year schools have had to significantly raise tuition. This has caused a major outmigration of Illinois students to other states; the 4th highest in the nation. We must look at other ways to more efficiently and effectively deliver higher education. I support more funding for apprentice programs, trade schools, and special programs geared to STEM fields where jobs are in demand.