Illinois is at risk of getting in costly trouble with the federal government over its Tier 2 public employee retirement benefits. Here’s a solution that doesn’t make the state’s monstrous public pension debt even worse.

State lawmakers overrode Gov. Rauner’s veto of a bill that allows one former firefighter serving as a Chicago alderman to credit his political salary toward a more lucrative fire pension. The pension boost will also apply to future aldermen with a history of fire department work.