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Political party
Republican
Age
45
Town of residence
Downers Grove. 19 Year resident of Senate District 41.
Current occupation and employer
Attorney in private practice. Former prosecutor at the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Education
Graduate of Brother Rice High School, received a Bachelor’s of Science degree at University of Illinois, Juris Doctorate (law degree) at Northern Illinois University.
Immediate family
Married to wife Sue for 19 years, together we have four daughters in addition to being guardian to our niece.
Website
Civic involvement and volunteer work
Member of Chamber 630 (local Chamber of Commerce), board member Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation, parishioner at St. Joseph's Parish, former Committee Member for Almost Home Kids a Naperville based non-profit that services medically complex children.
Previous elected offices held
Village Trustee of Woodridge from 2005 to 2008, member of the DuPage County Board from 2008 to 2017, and was Vice Chair from 2011 until 2017.
What should Illinois do to improve its business climate and promote job growth?
Illinois is seeing more people leave the State than any other State in the Union. I believe that is a direct result from Springfield dysfunction, high property taxes, and uncertainty in budgeting. We need real reform when it comes to how State government operates. That should include zero-based budgeting, requiring Agencies to come forth to explain how every dollar requested will be spent, and a firm commitment from leaders that Springfield will address the backlog of bills and unfunded pension liability without raising taxes. Springfield’s only answer to budgetary woes have been to raise taxes. I firmly believe we cannot kick the can down the road any longer and we can't ask for any more revenue until serious reforms are made.
What gun control measures do you support at the state level?
In my first full year as a State Senator, I worked with both sides of the aisle to reach compromise on certifying gun dealers in order to crack down on illegal purchases of firearms, and instituting the Lethal Violence Order of Protection in order to alert law enforcement when red flags appear. I believe these are common-sense approaches that will better ensure safer schools and safer streets by removing guns out of the hands of criminals and the mentally ill. As a result of my efforts, I am honored to be the only candidate in this race to have the endorsement of the Gun Violence Prevent PAC and Giffords, as well as the distinction from Moms Demand Action.
What are your thoughts on the steps Illinois has taken to address its pension crisis? What additional reforms are necessary?
When I replaced Christine Radogno in the Illinois Senate following her retirement, I immediately took steps to refuse the legislative pension. Coupled with our backlog of unpaid bills, the unfunded pension liability will continue to be a significant budgetary limitation for many fiscal year budgets to come. The Illinois Supreme Court has ruled that we can’t diminish benefits, so we need to come up with real solutions like the optional buyout in this year’s budget, in order to address the situation. IMRF is the only pension fund I know that is funded at the 90% level. It’s successful because it doesn’t have a statutory contribution, but rather an actuarial assessed contribution requirement every year. We need this in Springfield. Additionally, I support active member buy-outs, ending large pension spiking, and optional 401(k) style plans for new employees.
The current political climate across the United States seems more divided than ever. What will you do to foster cooperation and compromise among members of the Illinois General Assembly?
I am proud and honored to have the endorsement of Senator Christine Radogno. I believe she was a beacon of bipartisanship in the Illinois legislature, and I believe I have demonstrated bipartisanship during my short time in the Illinois Senate. In my first year, I voted against my party’s leadership by overriding the governor on right-to-work, and worked with members on the opposite side of the aisle to pass a balanced budget, reform the Illinois Human Rights Commission, implement new Medicaid policies to ensure no disruption of treatment of medically complex children, combat gender-pay discrimination, and to combat illegal firearms. I am also working with members of both parties on the Senate Sexual Discrimination and Harassment Task Force, working on a bipartisan basis with members of all four caucuses to help clean up those issues in Springfield.