, candidate for Illinois State Representative in the 98th district, released the following statement in response to Illinois' credit downgrade by S&P:
"While the news of Standard & Poor's decision to downgrade Illinois' credit rating is a blow to Illinois taxpayers, the move doesn't come as a big surprise, but rather, an outrage.
"Years of ineffective leadership in Springfield have caused businesses and families to flee and have left us with an outstanding debt that it will take our state years to recover from. S&P's downgrade follows Moody's recent credit downgrade, citing weak funding levels for pensions as the primary basis for their decision.
"Pension reform is the can that we just keep kicking down the road and now, we're paying the price for inaction. Gov. Quinn and his allies have had every opportunity to do something substantive to begin to fix Illinois pension crisis and they have failed.
"Illinois is the second-worst credit risk in the nation with no signs of changing course. Real reform in Springfield will require real leadership - new leadership. And it's time for Illinois taxpayers to take back control of their state and their money and elect people to the state legislature that will fight for them and work to reform our broken pension system.
"Illinois can't survive another two years under Mike Madigan's destructive fiscal policies. We need to make a change now."
Kalnicky will face Democratic candidate in the November election.
