For the first time in a dozen years, Illinois has a Republican governor.
Bruce Rauner took the oath of office Monday in Springfield, along with Illinois' other constitutional officers. Rauner, who used his personal fortune to propel his campaign, said Illinois' finances are in trouble because politicians in the past budgeted irresponsibly.
While during the campaign Rauner suggested he was open to a gradual phase out of the income tax increase passed into law in 2011. He had harsh words for it in his inauguration speech.
"This hurt our economy even more. Put more stress on our social safety net. And pushed more Illinoisians out of our state. Leaving fewer taxpayers. As a result today, Illinois is not as competitive as we need to be and cannot be as compassionate as we want to be."
The bulk of the tax hike went away at the start of the new year, leaving Rauner with a deficit for this year's budget, as well as next years. He gave no specifics about how he'll handle that, other than promising to unveil what he termed a "comprehensive" jobs and fiscal package.
Rauner is also requiring state agencies to halt all non-essential state spending. It's unclear, though, what's essential, and what isn't.
