Name: Stephanie Kifowit
What office are you seeking: Comptroller
What is your political party? Democrat
What is your current age? 54
Occupation and employer: State Representative for the Illinois House
What offices, if any, have you previously held? Alderman for the City of Aurora
City: Oswego, IL
Campaign website: kifowitforcomptroller.com
Education: Leadership Courses in the United States Marine Corps
Obtained the Rank of Corporal (E-4); Awards: Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation and Overseas Deployment Ribbon - Honorable discharge
B.S. in Political Science
Master of Public Administration - Government Finance
FINRA Licensing Series 6, 7, 63, 65 as a Registered Financial Advisor
Community involvement: Illinois Government Finance Officers Association
American Legion Post 84
DuPage Marine Corps League
Women Marine Association
Illinois Joining Forces Board
I have volunteered in the community over the last 20 years with various nonprofits to assist them. For 10 years, I organized the Women’s Power Lunch in Aurora to benefit Mutual Ground, I helped start Aurora’s Greenfest, I give advice to various nonprofits on how to navigate the state of Illinois. I have assisted with the Community Foundation in helping them navigate the State of Illinois. I have always been available to help in my community either be volunteering or providing guidance. I am always available to help support Veterans organizations throughout Illinois - including Allen Force, K9 for Veterans, SheForce, Operation Her Story, etc.
Marital status/Immediate family: I was married for 27 years, which ended a few years ago; however, we are still friends which I value. I have a daughter who is finishing her degree at NIU, a son-in-law who is a firefighter and member of the IL National Guard, and a son who is serving on active duty in the US Navy
What are your top priorities for the state’s fiscal reporting and payments?
1. Create a dedicated Labor Division. Stemming from my unwavering support of Labor and recognizing the National anti-labor movement, I am proposing expanding the current Prevailing Wage Division into The Labor Division. This dedicated team will move beyond just checking a certified payroll for prevailing wage enforcement. They will conduct proactive, pre-payment audits of all Illinois labor laws, including state OSHA standards in a time of weakening National OSHA standards, to catch violations before taxpayer dollars go out the door. In addition, I will work with the General Assembly to codify the Comptroller’s Executive Order 19-01 into Illinois State Law. The Division will modernize the existing prevailing wage online database to make it more accountable and transparent, in addition to being more user friendly.
2. Create a Nonprofit & Community-Based Division. Throughout my years in the General Assembly, I have worked with many non-profits who have struggled to receive the needed state funding they were allocated. The Nonprofit Community-Based Division will address the bureaucratic delays that threaten the stability of social services across Illinois. Dedicated staff will serve as a direct point of contact for nonprofits, helping them navigate payment issues, troubleshoot delays with state agencies, and ensure their funding moves through the system efficiently. The Division will also create and maintain a public-facing, user friendly online dashboard showing the status of grant payments owed to nonprofit organizations.
- Modernization and Technological Upgrades: Upgrading to Smarter Systems for Accuracy and Accountability. I will continue the strategic modernization of the Comptroller’s office to increase efficiency, eliminate costly payroll errors, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for. This means investing in modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to streamline operations, implementing advanced data analytics to proactively detect anomalies and fraud, and creating user-friendly digital portals for vendors and local governments. However, technology should empower people, not replace them. My approach is to be mindful that technological advancement does not come at the cost of jobs. I will sign an Executive Order that prohibits any initiative that uses AI or automation to eliminate positions. The goal is a more effective, error-free office that protects both public funds and public employees. In addition, modernization will enable the Comptroller’s office to review fund balances, the effects of fund sweeps, and report out low balance funds that have payment delays associated with them, such as the CIP program, which has a bill backlog of over one year for retiree health insurance payments.
How will you address bill backlogs?
Being the only candidate who served during the budget impasse where the Illinois bill backlog grew to over $17 Billion dollars. Working with the current Comptroller, we were able to reduce the bill backlog and now our accounts payable is within a week. There are still individual instances where a bill backlog exists because the General Assembly has not provided appropriate funding for a few funds; and I will work with the legislature to correct these deficits. While the stress of the federal funding uncertainty will cause some budget reductions in line items; I do not feel that it will create the bill backlog we saw during the budget impasse.
Should Illinois change the way it handles rainy-day funds?
I helped work on the Budget Stabilization Act; which saw the rainy-day fund grow from $60,000 to the $2.4 Billion it is today. This is still only about two weeks of savings. I believe that Illinois should continue to grow the savings in case of emergency - if one were to happen.
What is your plan for improving transparency in state spending?
As I mentioned in the other section, upgrading to Smarter Systems for Accuracy and Accountability will continue the strategic modernization of the Comptroller’s office to increase efficiency, eliminate costly payroll errors, and ensure every taxpayer dollar is accounted for. This means investing in modern Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems to streamline operations, implementing advanced data analytics to proactively detect anomalies and fraud, and creating user-friendly digital portals for vendors and local governments. In addition, modernization will enable the Comptroller’s office to review fund balances, the effects of fund sweeps, and report out low balance funds that have payment delays associated with them, such as the CIP program, which has a bill backlog of over one year for retiree health insurance payments.
How will you enforce timely payments to social service providers?
By continuing the Modernization of the Comptroller’s computer systems, this will help social service providers receive their payments in a timely manner. Phase 2 of the Modernization Plan, is a $53 Million upgrade which will streamline processes, improve cybersecurity and payroll direct deposit. In addition, my Nonprofit & Community Division will be able to assist social service providers with a dedicated staff to work to get payments processed quickly. An interactive dashboard will allow social service providers to see their allocations from appropriation to organization.
What reforms, if any, do you support for state financial reporting processes?
With my extensive experience in the General Assembly, I have seen delays in financial reporting from the Comptroller’s office. This can be addressed through the computer modernization plan that has been addressed in prior questions. However, there needs to be more robust reporting on the depletion of fund balances by fund sweeps, audits of contracts to ensure taxpayer money does not go out to bad actors, and assistance provided to local units of governments to help with their audit requirements. I am the only candidate that has the knowledge and experience to handle the Comptroller’s office on day 1 for the taxpayers of Illinois.