League of Women Voters
of Elmhurst - Voters Guide for the General Primary Election |
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Brien Sheahan |
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1. Illinois is struggling to balance its budget this year and may face a $12 billion deficit in 2010-2011. Given the recent reduction in Illinois' bond ratings to A2, what are your specific solutions for alleviating our state government's fiscal crisis? Like any family or small business struggling through these challenging economic times, state government must tighten its belt and reduce spending. Illinoisans simply cannot afford higher taxes. Over the past eight years under Democratic control Medicaid benefits were greatly expanded to cover people in the middle class—over one million people were added to the public dole. Program expansions like this must be rolled back. State pension programs must also be modernized to reduce long-term liabilities and in the shorter term the state must live up to its pension obligations. After seven years on the DuPage County Board I am proud
to have earned a reputation as a leading fiscal conservative. I sponsored
improvements to the county budget process including five year budgeting
and financial impact reports. I have consistently voted against property
tax increases and led the effort to reduce county property taxes three
times. The County budget is ten percent less than when I was first elected.
2. Do you favor or oppose limits on campaign contributions by individuals and interest groups? Should limits apply to contributions made by political parties and by funds controlled by the leaders of the House and Senate? Please explain. I favor limits on campaign contributions by individuals, corporations, labor unions, and interest groups. Limits should apply to contributions made by parties and legislative leaders. At the heart of Illinois’ “culture of corruption” is pay-to-play politics where no-bid government vendors and appointees receive huge contracts, in turn kicking-back enormous political contributions. Limits on contributions to, from, and between political committees are essential to meaningful reform. I have firsthand experience with the difficulties presented by unlimited leadership contributions. I am a very independent member of the DuPage County Board, and in 2008 local party “leadership” recruiting a primary opponent to run against me funded to the tune of over $130,000. While I survived the primary, and went on to win reelection, the message to other board members was that independence would be punished. County government run by one individual without meaningful input from the legislative body is unhealthy. Legislators in Springfield need to be more independent. State government run by a very few individuals, without meaningful input from the legislative body, is equally unhealthy. It undermines checks-and-balances and the very nature of our democratic institutions. Four out of five candidates in this race have chosen to answer questionnaires in this race thoughtfully and positively in the spirit of presenting their best case to the voters. Regretfully, one candidate has instead chosen to use these opportunities—and a vicious untruthful whisper campaign--to attack my contributors with untruths and innuendo. I am blessed with close and supportive friends and family.
Their generosity has made it possible for me to pursue a career of public
service. The contributors my opponent attacks do not—in fact—do
business with either DuPage County or the State of Illinois. And attacking
a member of my family (who has nothing to do with politics or state government)
is shameful even by Illinois political standards. But talk is cheap. I
have a seven year record on the DuPage County Board of fighting for good
government and reform. For seven years I have been a loud (often to the
chagrin of some of my Republican colleagues) and consistent voice for
greater transparency, more accountability, and higher ethical standards
in government. In contrast to my opponent who began running for the legislature
even before he was sworn in as an alderman (a position he has held for
two years), I have a long record of fighting the good fight. I am proud
to have led the effort to put more county information online, including
FOIA requests, minutes, agendas, and backup material for all committees
and the county board. I supported doubling the number of night county
board meetings to increase opportunities for greater public participation,
and fought to get annual financial reports and the county budget online.
I successfully pushed to get the county check book online so anyone can
easily and quickly see how DuPage County spends taxpayer funds. What makes
opponent’s hypocrisy on campaign finance all the more breathtaking
is that he works for a large law firm in the city that has lobbied in
Springfield, he has received $30,000 in contributions from Chicago lawyers
(Elmhurst Independent, 10-21-09), and while he campaigns against them,
he as accepted multiple contributions in the thousands of dollars (State
Board of Elections records). Troublingly, he recently defended a no-bid
land deal in Elmhurst that benefited one of his political contributors
by saying that “hand shake deals” in government are okay—a
stunning admission. In contrast, I do not believe that “hand shake”
deals are okay in government. They have no place in government. And I
have more than empty rhetoric to back it up. I am proud to have voted
for county ethics and procurement ordinances that are tougher than required
by the state. And today the county is also poised to pass limits on contributions
from county vendors, an effort I strongly support and will vote for. 3. The National Census will be counted in April of this year and Illinois is likely to lose 1 seat in Congress, perhaps more, if Illinois residents fail to respond to the census. Should the new Illinois legislative and congressional districts be drawn by an independent, nonpolitical organization, or should that power stay with the legislature? If you support a change, explain how that should be done. This is perhaps the most fundamental reform necessary
to turn Illinois government around. I strongly support the drawing of
legislative districts by an independent non-partisan organization. Iowa
would be a good model to follow. With the advent of sophisticated and
inexpensive geographic information systems, legislative districts can
be drawn very impartially. The result would be more competitive districts,
less polarization in the legislature, and greater bipartisanship in the
legislative process. 4. What policies do you support to resolve the financial issues confronting the Illinois public school districts? The State of Illinois has to make better use of limited
resources. For example one small elementary school district in DuPage
County spends nearly $30,000 per year per teacher to provide health insurance.
Thoughtful school district consolidation, utilization of shared services
for back office functions, and pooling for procurement and health insurance
would allow us to do more with the same resources. 5. Given the current economic climate, would you support a salary freeze or reduction for Illinois’ elected officials? I favor a salary freeze or reduction for Illinois legislators.
State government needs to cut costs and legislators should set an example.
For the past seven years I have consistently voted against salary increases
for county board members and returned to the county over $15,000 in salary
and benefits because I felt it was important to lead by example. I also
sponsored measures that eliminated stipends to county board members for
travel within the county, and $3,000 county bonuses for chairing county
committees. 6. Recently, federal funding has become available to the states for a myriad of projects to develop green technology and reduce green house gas emissions. What actions do you advocate to reduce the Illinois carbon footprint? With our world class instructions of higher education, well educated labor force, and geographic and logistical advantages Illinois should lead in the utilization and development of so-called green technology to reduce green house gas emissions. The State of Illinois should require that new and renovated facilities meet the highest Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. The state fleet should also be transitioned to more efficient and hybrid vehicles. As a board member I have voted for numerous measures to make county government more environmentally responsible including supporting the adoption of the county’s Environmental Responsibility and Conservation Policy. The comprehensive policy includes retrofitting county buildings with more efficient fixtures, upgrading the county fleet with hybrid vehicles, funding environmental education and weatherization programs, and taking advantage of cogeneration at county waste water treatment plants. I have also supported funding for household hazardous waste collection, and innovative programs to use organic deicers in place of environmentally damaging chemicals and salts. The State of Illinois should have a comprehensive program
to implement green technologies and incentivize green jobs. I will sponsor
a measure to provide a 100 percent tax credit for the creation of new
jobs in green technology and research and development. 7. Illinois ranked 48th out of 50 states in job growth between 1997 and 2007, according to the 2009 Alec-Laffer State Economic Competitiveness Index. What specific steps should Illinois lawmakers take to enhance job creation and expand the economic base? What do you see as the greatest obstacle to job creation here? Do you favor lowering the Illinois minimum wage? The reason that Illinois is ranked 48th out of 50 states in job growth is because Illinois is not a business friendly state, and has increased taxes and fees on businesses. The Alec-Laffer Index measures 15 factors including the overall tax burden, state debt as a ratio of state revenue, number of state employees, legal climate for business, and labor costs and the cost of workers’ compensation among other factors. Illinois, unfortunately, ranks poorly in each of these categories. Illinois has arguably the most corrupt political system in the nation which creates uncertainty and unease for businesses looking to expand or relocate. Taxes are high; especially property taxes; Illinois’ courts (particularly Cook County and Metro-East) are notorious plaintiffs’ venues; unreasonable labor and administrative costs drive conventions to cheaper more accommodating states; the list goes on and on. There is no single greatest obstacle to job creation. It is the persistent combination of the factors above, an anti-business orientation of two successive governors, and legislative majorities that enable them. All of the hurtles to job growth illustrated by the 15 ALEC-Laffer factors will have to be lowered to improve the climate for job growth in Illinois. Illnois’ minimum wage should be competitive with
other mid-western states. 8. Please address the academic achievement gap between white and minority students, and between students in property wealthy and property poor communities -- in your district and throughout Illinois. What policies would you support to boost student achievement in your district and statewide? The total revenues being spent on k-12 education are sufficient when viewed in the aggregate. Per pupil funding statewide is substantial and, in the main, sufficient. I would like to see progress made on better utilizing resources devoted to public education and getting more money to classroom instruction and professional development for teachers. Schools in the legislative district for which I am a candidate do not require spending increases beyond the level of inflation. Both the per pupil financial base and the quality of education in these local schools is good. The current state education funding formula which provides a base of funding for schools is a reasonable approach to school funding. It takes into consideration differences in the costs of living around the state. When I worked for Governor Edgar I had the chance to work on an analysis of school achievement which revealed that if student achievement data from the Chicago Public Schools were excluded Illinois would rank among the leaders in education. The question is really what state government can do to
improve education in Chicago and other pockets of economically disadvantaged
districts. I believe that the only reasonable answer is to invest in teachers.
There simply is not a strong correlation between just funding and student
achievement. Teachers pay, training, and support should reflect the difficultly
of their challenge. We need higher expectations for these students. 9. Positive DNA tests and dead carp have provided evidence that Asian carp have moved over nearly ten miles up the CalSag Channel and Ship Canal above the electronic barrier installed to prevent them from entering Lake Michigan. Do you consider this a concern and if so, what solutions would you recommend and fund to prevent the carp from entering Lake Michigan? Illinois should take every prudent measure to ensure
that Asian Carp do not infiltrate the Great Lakes. |
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