Illinois statewide officials are giving a cool response to Governor Pat Quinn's call for them to cut spending by 9 percent.None of the constitutional officials are flatly rejecting the Democratic governor. But some of them come close. Both Secretary of State Jesse White and Attorney General Lisa Madigan say their top priority is making sure the operations of their offices aren't harmed seriously. Aides to the two Democrats said they're still "crunching the numbers" to see how close they can get to Quinn's 9 percent goal.
As for the Republicans, Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and Treasurer Dan Rutherford say they will try to hit the governor's target.
Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, a part of Quinn's administration, is complying with the governor's request.
