Tribune Questionnaire

General Election 2014

Illinois House and Senate

Biographical information

Name

Campaign contact person and phone

Candidate Web site and e-mail

Date of Birth

Portrait (please attach)

Home address

Office address

Occupation. Please be specific; titles and proper names.

Education

Spouse occupation. Please be specific; titles and proper names.

Please list any relatives who work for a government body or lobby, consult.

ISSUES

Budget & Finance

Do you support the Jan. 1 scheduled roll back of individual and corporate income tax rates? Yes or no.
Then explain your position in detail.

What sources of additional revenue, if any, would you support to help balance the state budget? Be
specific.

If you do not support additional revenue to balance the budget, where would you cut spending?

Do you support expansion of the sales tax base? Which services or products would you include? Please
explain.

Do you support a rise in the minimum wage? Yes or no. If yes, what should it be?

Do you support a graduated income tax?


Pensions & Health care

If the Illinois Supreme Court tosses the pension reform law of 2013, what should the state do to manage
its pension responsibilities?

Should the state shift all new state and government workers into defined contribution plans?

If you believe the state should meet its pension obligations as is and pay off the $100 unfunded
pension liability, how should the state raise the money to do it?

Do you support pension reform for local police and fire departments?

Do you support shifting teacher pension costs, gradually, to local school districts? Please explain your
position.

How should the state handle its increasing retiree health care and Medicaid costs?


Jobs

What should Illinois do via tax policy, spending or other policy means to promote job creation?

If an individual employer in your district approached you for an individualized tax relief policy, like those
approved for CME Group and Sears several years ago, what would you say?

Offer three job creation ideas of your own and, if they would cost the state money, explain how you
would pay for them.


Spending

List and explain five specific areas in which you would cut state spending. Want to suggest more? Be our
guest. Please do not include the clichs of eliminating waste, fraud and abuse, or getting rid of the state
airplane fleet. More outside-the-box thought, please.

Education

Do you support an expansion, or reduction, of charter schools? Please explain.

How should charter school policy change, if at all, going forward?

Do you support vouchers? In what form?

If you support vouchers, will you commit to sponsoring and or lobbying on behalf of a statewide school
choice program?

Government

Illinois has nearly 7,000 local governments, more than any other state. What governments could be
consolidated or abolished? What should lawmakers do to make this happen? Will you commit to
sponsoring and/or lobbying to reduce the numbers of local taxing bodies?

Campaign finance

Should Illinois do more to regulate campaign fundraising? If so, how?

What help, if any, are you receiving from your party and its leaders, including staff help, advice, legal
assistance, money and resources? Be specific.

Who is the largest donor to your campaign so far this election cycle?

Independence

What have you done to change the status quo of Illinois politics and government?

If you are an incumbent, give at least one example when you worked across the aisle on an important
issue.

If you are an incumbent, give at least one example of a time you did not vote with your party on a
significant issue.

If you are an incumbent, how did the boundaries of your district change under the new redistricting
map?

Do you support term limits? If so, will you commit to sponsoring legislation and/or lobbying your
colleagues on behalf of a constitutional change?

Do you support redistricting? If so, will you commit to sponsoring legislation and/or lobbying your
colleagues on behalf of a constitutional change?

Personal

Tell us a little about your family.

Tell us something we might be surprised to learn about you.