With news this week of an effort to save taxpayer money and eliminate redundancies in state government by consolidating the state Treasurer and Comptroller’s offices, we thought it would be helpful to explore all the different positions Treasurer Mike Frerichs has taken on the issue.
Frerichs confusing consolidation history:
FOR: In 2011, Frerichs voted to consolidate the office as a state senator in the 97th General Assembly. Good job Mike!
AGAINST: In 2014 during his first campaign for Treasurer, he flip-flopped and criticized a plan to consolidate offices. Mike, what happened?
FOR: Immediately following the above referenced flip-flop, Frerichs restated his previous support for office consolidation. The State Journal-Register noted the change saying, “Frerichs again supports combining state’s fiscal offices.” Mike, now it’s time to follow through!
AGAINST?: After finally landing on the right position of support for office consolidation, Frerichs hasn’t lifted a finger to make it happen since being sworn-in as Treasurer in January, 2015. Treasurer Frerichs has not supported any of the legislative efforts to consolidate the offices of Treasurer and Comptroller even though his party has held majorities in the General Assembly his entire time in office. You’ve let us down, Mike.
“The only thing Mike Frerichs stands tall for are tax hikes and the status quo of bloated and wasteful state government,” said ILGOP Spokesman Joe Hackler. “Frerichs aggressively supported Governor Pritzker’s 2020 tax hike amendment, spoke positively of the possibility of taxing retirement income, and has done nothing to save taxpayer dollars by consolidating offices, despite ample opportunity.”
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