Join Me Tuesday to Share Your Ideas

Dear Friends,

When I became your state representative just over two years ago, I made it one of my top priorities to address Illinois’ many budget problems. Important progress has been made, and my Budgeting for Results legislation has laid the groundwork to fundamentally overhaul the way our state government spends its money. 

For the first time, Illinois has begun to identify budget priorities, funds available, and multi-year revenue forecasts before allocating resources in the budget. Furthermore, Budgeting for Results calls on performance-based measurements to ensure that funds do not continue to be wasted on programs that may sound like a good idea in theory but turn out to be ineffective.  You can learn more by reading the Budgeting for Results Commission Report here.

These changes are an important first step, but there is still much work to be done. That is why I would like to hear your ideas at a Budget & Legislative Town Hall Meeting on January 24, 2012 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. at the Laschen Community Center Century Room, located at 294 Evergreen Drive in Vernon Hills. If you have noticed wasteful spending that can be eliminated, or if you have ideas on how we could use state money more efficiently, I want to hear from you.  If you have other ideas for legislation that you would like to share, I encourage you to attend as well.  As your state representative, I am committed to representing the values of this community in Springfield so that taxpayer money is spent on the programs important to you and not wasted on ineffective projects or special interests.

Coffee Shop Stops

If you are unable to attend the Budget & Legislative Town Hall Meeting on January 24, you can still join me at my next Coffee Shop Stop to share your ideas to create a more efficient and effective state budget or any other legislation you believe should be changed or introduced.  I will be meeting with constituents on Saturday, January 21, from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. at the Buffalo Grove Starbucks located at 1665 Buffalo Grove Road.

Job Seeker Seminar

Last week’s Job Seeker Seminar was attended by over 80 area job seekers seeking advice to improve their chances in this difficult economy.  I am disheartened by the number of people I have met walking door to door and at forums that have lost their jobs and are having trouble finding work, and I have made it a top priority to help improve the job prospects of unemployed and underemployed residents. While I am glad this forum was able to help so many people by providing guidance for their job search, I will continue to bring resources to residents seeking employment through workshops, sharing job openings and career search tools in this newsletter, and working to create a successful business environment in Illinois so that workers can be hired and retained with confidence.

To RSVP for any of the above events, or if I can be of assistance in another way, please reach out to my full time constituent service office located at 430 N. Milwaukee Ave., Suite 8 in Lincolnshire, by phone at (847) 478-9909 or by e-mail at RepSente@gmail.com.  I hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Carol Sente
State Representative