SPRINGFIELD — Gov. Pat Quinn wants to stop nearly $100 million in monthly payments to Chicago, the suburbs and other Illinois towns if lawmakers won't let him borrow billions of dollars to pay overdue bills, according to a confidential memo the Tribune obtained on Thursday.
The idea drew immediate blowback from local leaders worried about balancing their own budgets in a sluggish economy.
"To me, it sounds like they're holding us hostage," said Tinley Park Mayor Ed Zabrocki, a former Republican legislator.
The proposal, outlined in the memo and quietly distributed to top legislators, represents a pressure tactic by the Democratic governor. He hopes mayors from Zion to Cairo will squeeze their town's lawmakers to help get him the loan he wants.
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