The Civic Federation strongly supports reform of the Cook County pension system so that it will provide sustainable benefits to employees in retirement without overburdening taxpayers. The Federation believes the OpenPensions initiative is an excellent resource to help inform stakeholders, officials, and the public about the need for reform and the consequences of inaction.

The OpenPensions.Org website provides all visitors access to pension data that is not usually available to the general public. The Federation is especially impressed that Commissioner Bridget Gainer includes downloadable data on the impact on the funded status of the pension fund for each of the reforms she proposes.

The Federation commends the OpenPensions initiative and encourages the Illinois General Assembly to work with the County to develop legislation that will reform the County’s pension benefits and employer and employee contributions. We look forward to reviewing the eventual reform legislation, which should be based on the facts presented at OpenPensions.Org.

Sincerely,

Laurence Msall
President
The Civic Federation

Additional Resources
Statement of Support from Laurence J Msall, President – Civic Federation