Illinois Valley Times

As the race for Illinois Senate seats warms up, a 45th District candidate has weighed in on the state of Illinois' finances.

"The level of debt in Illinois is unethical, and it is causing dramatic failures of government at all levels," Liandro “Li” Arellano Jr. told Illinois Valley Times.

Illinois was recently ranked as one of the most burdensome states for taxpayers.

Liandro Arellano | Courtesy of Liandro Arellano

"Taxpayers deserve better, and the graph should really emphasize for citizens how little they've gotten for their tax dollars," Arellano said.

Arellano, a Republican, is not solely pointing the finger to the opposing party; instead, he is convinced that this political failure has been exacerbated by both parties — a reality that must be changed to bring reform needed in Illinois.

"While Democrats own much of the failure, any Republican who supported tax increases, especially without any reforms, is part of the problem," Arellano said. "Full Democrat control of Springfield would cause continued destruction of our state's fiscal health, but Republicans should also be pushed to support the reform agenda that they have promised."

The answer to improving the state's financial health lies in term limits, redistricting and putting the power back into the legislative level, Arellano said.

"To improve, Illinois needs to pass both political and financial reforms," Arellano said. "After such political reforms, perhaps we can have a real discussion and (enact financial) reforms in pensions, the budget process, workers' compensation and the cost of labor."

Currently, Arellano is campaigning for the 45th Senate District, and he recently participated in a Veterans Day event at Washington Middle School in Dixon and the annual dinner held by Amboy's American Legion.

Arellano is running for the seat held by Rep. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon), who is retiring.

The 45th District covers all or part of Carroll, DeKalb, Jo Daviess, LaSalle, Lee, Ogle, Stephenson, Whiteside and Winnebago counties.