Working for Illinois Caucus

WOOD RIVER — State Rep. Monica Bristow, D-Alton, and state Sen. Rachelle Crowe, D-Glen Carbon, are collecting gently used clothing to give to local organizations in need.

“As we head into colder weather, it is important that we remember those who may be less fortunate or dealing with a sudden loss of income in these uncertain times,” Bristow said. “I encourage anyone who is able to give to join us in helping keep all members of our communities warm this year.”

“With less sunshine during the day and lower temperatures at night, Rep. Bristow and I are asking for the public’s help to provide warm clothes for our less fortunate neighbors,” Crowe said. “Any and all donations are appreciated, but I encourage residents to be mindful when selecting seasonal clothing items.”

Crowe’s office is also collecting old cell phones for the nonprofit Cell Phones for Soldiers. The organization collects old, broken cell phones and tablets and sends them to be refurbished or recycled. Proceeds from those sales are used to send prepaid international calling cards to our troops and to provide emergency funding to veterans. All cell phone donations are tax deductible.

“As technology advances, this program provides a secure way to dispose of unwanted electronic devices while benefiting those who protect our freedom overseas,” said Crowe, a member of the Senate’s Veterans Affairs Committee.

“A phone call with a loved one is a precious moment for both our service men and women overseas and their families,” Bristow said. “This is a simple way to help turn a broken or outdated phone into a way to help thank our service men and women for all that they do to protect our freedom.”

Starting Friday, Oct. 9, residents can drop off donations every Friday in October from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Crowe’s office in Wood River, 111 N. Wood River Ave., Suite A.

Padilla graduated from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale with a degree in dental hygiene, and worked as a dental hygienist for 28 years. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree from Western Illinois University and has been the executive director at Home of Hope Cancer Wellness Center in Dixon for eight years. She is married to Tom Padilla and together they have four children.

When Padilla announced her candidacy in July 2019, she vowed to take a different, more strategic path from her 2018 campaign.

“My passion for my community didn’t end just because of my loss in 2018,” she said. “I’m running to improve the lives of the families of the 71st District. We’ve had four years of Ms. McCombie’s representation and I feel our voice has not been heard in the District. We deserve a seat at the table down in Springfield.”

If elected, Padilla said her focus will be on education and making sure school districts have the resources they need to be successful. She would like to relieve the over-reliance on property taxes for school funding. 

Economic development will be another priority for Padilla, who said incorporating hemp crops into the agriculture industry in Illinois could be a financial success.

“I’ve been doing a lot of research on hemp and there’s a lot of interest in it, but farmers are reticent to jump into it as a third or fourth crop,” she said. “They don’t have the capabilities to (farm.) They’d have to retrofit their existing machinery for planting and harvesting hemp. And once the crop is harvested, there is literally nowhere for it to be taken to for production of textiles or medicinal CBD.

As Illinois State Rep. Mike Unes prepares to retire, two Pekinites are vying to fill his seat in the state’s 91st District.

The winner will serve a two-year term representing the district that includes East Peoria, much of Pekin, the southern portion of Peoria County, and part of Fulton County including Canton.

The race between Republican Mark Luft and Democrat Josh Grys will be something of a referendum on the value of prior political experience. Luft served on the Pekin City Council from 2015 to 2019, when he was elected to his current position as the city’s mayor.

"It’s given me a great outlook and education on political processes and what it takes to get things done," said Luft. "I work with others in the Tri-County area to make improvements not only to the community of Pekin, but to our entire region as a whole."

Conversely, Grys’ bid for the 91st District seat marks the first time he has run for public office. His experience as a teacher gave him a chance to observe Illinois’ education system firsthand, and his observations inspired his interest in politics.

"As a teacher, I realized the system was not working for educators, as well as for students and parents in many cases," Grys said. "We need to update the way the education system operates and move our schools into 21st century education programs. By reviewing what the most successful countries in the world do with their education systems, I believe that we can improve the schools in Illinois to provide a better experience for all parties."

In addition to education reform, Grys added that his key issues are health care and the state’s economy. Believing that all citizens have a right to easily accessible quality health care, he supports U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders’ "Medicare for all" policy and plans to use it as a guide to expand Illinois’ Medicare programs. He also asserted that Illinois’ elected officials need to work hard to create more job opportunities and he would like to see the state’s minimum wage increased to a livable wage for all workers.

"No one should work full-time or multiple jobs, and still live a life below the poverty level," Grys said. "We need to continue to improve these plans for the future as well. Providing $15 an hour for minimum wage is a start. But we need to implement a standard raise increase that increases with inflation so businesses can plan on this."

Should voters send him to Springfield in the November election, Luft plans to push for ethics reform and for the lowering of property taxes. In its 2020 Property Taxes by State Report, the personal finance website WalletHub listed Illinois’ property taxes as the second-highest in the nation — a situation that Luft described as "unacceptable."

"They are way too high and we’ve lost a lot of people from this state due to that," he added. "There has been a continued process in Springfield of bills to lower property taxes, but by the time they reach leadership, they’ve either been put on the back burner or killed. That’s an issue we desperately need to address."

Luft said that the pursuit of legislation specific to the 91st District will depend on input he receives from municipalities in the area. However, he has gained networking experience that will be valuable in gauging and addressing area communities’ wants and needs. His seat on the Heart of Illinois Mayors Commission puts him in frequent contact with 28 area mayors and village presidents. He has also met frequently with such entities as Pekin’s Economic Development Board, chambers of commerce from communities within the district and school boards.

"The network and the relationships are very important in order to educate yourself in what specifics (communities) need and what you need to do to get it for them," said Luft.

Legislation affecting central Illinois that Grys would like to see passed includes the expansion of U.S. Route 24 to four lanes from Peoria to Canton — which is included in the state’s current capital bill. Like Luft, he intends to establish and maintain close relationships with communities within the 91st District.

"I would like to stay in close contact with the city leaders within our district so I can be a conduit for them in Springfield," he said. "I want to work closely with our local leaders to help secure the funds and grants that we need to make our cities more successful for the people of the district."

Both candidates expressed a commitment to working with legislators of other parties. Two years ago, Grys had considered running for state representative as an Independent because he wanted to work in an impartial fashion with both major parties. After the difficulty he encountered getting on the ballot as an Independent, however, he chose to run as a Democrat because he sees himself as more socially progressive than the Republican Party’s platform would allow. He plans to be mindful of his responsibility to represent all of the 91st District’s citizens and will work with any representative, Democrat or Republican, promoting legislation he feels is beneficial to those citizens.

"We need to bring respect and dignity back to politics," Grys stated. "We have grown in division over the past 10 years in a way that I don’t believe I have ever seen before. I believe the people of our district are sick and tired of the hate and division we are seeing."

Luft said that, when holding office at the municipal level, it was not necessary to declare a party, which encouraged him to set partisan politics aside and work as a member of a team to move agendas forward. He acknowledged that there will always be some difference in priorities between the two parties, but stated that quality of life for Illinois residents should be a primary concern for all legislators.

"There has been a major separation, unfortunately, that should not be there," Luft added. "All of us have jobs to do, whether at the community level or the state and federal level. We still all have an obligation to work for the community, for the district, for the state and for the country as a whole."

If legislative races are not really competitive, is it accurate to call them elections?

Competitive legislative elections in Illinois, owing to the dark art of gerrymandering, are relatively rare.

So it’s no great surprise that there’s little to no drama in area House and Senate races.

103rd Illinois House District

Democratic state Rep. Carol Ammons is seeking another term in office and almost certainly will win one. It’s virtually impossible for a Republican to get elected in the liberal district made up of Champaign-Urbana.

But it will be interesting to see how large a percentage of the vote Ammons gets, considering a pending investigation of an alleged shoplifting incident in which she was implicated.

No Republican entered the race. But Libertarian Brad Bielert represents a vehicle to attract protest votes, particularly from the small number of local Democrats who do not revere Ammons. Perhaps that’s why the Ammons campaign worked hard, but unsuccessfully, to throw Bieliert off the ballot.

It’s pointless to make an endorsement in a one-horse race, particularly when the anticipated winner is as in tune with her district as Ammons is.

104th Illinois House District

Incumbent Republican state Rep. Mike Marron is running in a district made up of Vermilion and Champaign counties and drawn to get his party the advantage.

So Marron can be expected to come out on top in 2020, just as he did when Democrats challenged him in 2018. Marron is again facing Democratic small-business owner Cynthia Cunningham, whom he handily defeated in 2018 with nearly 56 percent of the vote.

Marron’s district is conservative, as is he. It’s just not a good fit for a candidate like Cunningham.

A former member and chairman of the Vermilion County Board, farmer/business-owner Marron knows how county government operates. As a relatively new member of the Republican superminority in the House, he’s gaining a sound understanding of state government as well, even if Republicans have little input in statewide public policy.

52nd Illinois Senate District

Incumbent Democratic state Sen. Scott Bennett of Champaign is in line for another easy win. His Senate district, drawn to elect a Democrat, is made up of portions of Champaign and Vermilion counties.

Giving Bennett an added advantage, Republican candidate A.J. Ruggieri, a lawyer and member of the Savoy Village Board, has faced a series of handicaps in waging a serious campaign, including several months of duty with the Illinois National Guard that prevented him from campaigning.

Ruggieri simply hasn’t had time to make his case to votes against Bennett, who has shown that he’s a shrewd and capable politician.

Ruggieri argues that Bennett votes more with Chicago liberals than with conservative elements of his district. If that’s the case, voters in the 52nd district don’t seem to mind, at least so far.

It could be revealing if Ruggieri had more time to make a case for his election against Bennett, who has a strong standing in the district.

Circuit judgeships

Two circuit judge posts in Champaign County are up for election.

One contest is circuit-wide, meaning voters in all of its six counties (Champaign, DeWitt, Douglas, Macon, Moultrie and Piatt) will cast ballots.

The other — a resident judge — will be elected only by Champaign County voters.

In the circuit-wide post to replace the retiring Judge Thomas Difanis, Republican Jason Bohm, who now is serving by appointment, faces Democrat Scott Lerner

A former assistant U.S. Attorney, Bohm has already has distinguished himself as a judge. Indeed, if he is not elected, it would be a serious loss for the local judiciary.

Area lawyers who rated Bohm’s performance in office gave him near-perfect scores in a variety of categories, including legal knowledge and, most importantly, temperament.

Simply put, he has been and will continue to be an outstanding trial judge and richly deserves voters’ support.

Regarding Lerner, the less said about his candidacy, the better.

His bar-poll scores were low. That’s why he was found “unqualified,” as compared to Bohm’s “highly qualified” rating.

Bohm is endorsed.

In the race for resident judge, Democrat Ramona Sullivan faces Republican Cherie Kesler

Both candidates are relatively low-profile local lawyers, although Sullivan made an unsuccessful bid for circuit judge in 2018.

Both candidates have solid experience as lawyers. Sullivan works in the local public defender’s office, while Kesler is a private practitioner.

The principal difference between the two is that Sullivan received a qualified rating in the bar poll, while Kesler received an unqualified rating.

For that reason, Sullivan is endorsed.

Tax referedums

Champaign County Forest Preserve District:

• This government body, which operates six preserves — including Lake of the Woods and Homer Lake — is asking voters to approve a property-tax increase that would translate to a little more than $5 a year for the owner of a $100,000 home.

In property-tax lingo, that means the forest preserve district is asking voters to increase its levy by 1.6 cents per $100,000 of assessed value.

If approved, the rate would move up slightly to above 10 cents.

It really is a modest sum. As such, the request will test voters’ increasing hostility to property-tax increases, an aversion shared by The News-Gazette.

In this case, we encourage voters to approve the increase. If they do, it would be the first voter-approved rate hike for the district in 72 years and generate an additional revenue of nearly $700,000 per year.

Forest preserve facilities draw heavy use that generates maintenance expenses that cannot be indefinitely delayed.

The choice here is clear: Pay slightly more in property taxes or watch the preserve cuts programs and raise user fees to address the revenue shortfall.

Vote yes for the forest preserve district.

Cunningham Township:

• The News-Gazette is no fan of the thousands of township governments in Illinois, which cumulatively cost a fortune and are largely invisible to most taxpayers. They need to be consolidated and/or eliminated statewide to reduce the size and cost of government.

Cunningham Township, whose boundaries are the same as the city of Urbana, is seeking a substantial property-tax increase to fund its social-service programs for lower-income residents.

The requested increase — nearly

10 cents per $100 of assessed valuation — would boost taxes by $36 a year for the owners of a home valued at $100,000, and $118 for the owner of a $300,000 home.

If approved, the increase would generate an additional $570,000-plus for the supervisor’s office.

Urbana residents traditionally have embraced property-tax increases with surprising enthusiasm, and they may again. But this is a good opportunity to say no by those who are groaning under the weight of ever-increasing property-tax bills.

Vote no for Cunningham Township’s tax increase.