Fresh off a narrow victory over rival Bill Brady, Governor Pat Quinn says the people support his plan for a tax increase to help fund education initiatives in the state.
"I think our message of investing in education was supported by the people," Quinn told the Chicago Tribune after Brady conceded the race to him. "I think that is a really strong mandate that I got. I know from the campaign, people made that pretty clear to me, and I think the election returns said the same thing."
Quinn has long planned to raise the state's personal income tax rate by 1 percentage point -- a 33 percent increase -- to cover the cost of education. But the idea is not popular among other Illinois legislators.
House Speaker Michael Madigan and others in the statehouse aren't keen on raising taxes, despite an estimated $15 Billion budget deficit. Last time Quinn tried to push a tax increase through the legislature, there weren't enough votes to give it consideration.
It's unclear if other legislators agree that Quinn's narrow victory does in fact equal a "mandate" from the people.
