Every election season, I'm
frustrated by the lack of information on the smaller political offices:
comptroller, state representatives, county coroner.... Nobody likes to
talk about these guys. Their theatrics usually pale in comparison to the
presidential race, especially this year; but these are the races where your
vote really counts. Only the people in your district, county, or state
can vote for them, and a dozen votes here or there could really make a
difference. Yet when I read up on local campaigns, newspapers like the
Chicago Tribune, the Sun-Times, or NBC are mostly full of "He said,"
"She accused," "He shot back"--it's an echo chamber of
useless information. All I want is a straightforward comparison of
what the candidates have actually done so far in their careers.
I have searched far and wide, and
such a thing is nowhere to be found, so I decided to do it myself. One of
the biggest local races this November is the race for state comptroller:
probably the most important government job you've never heard of. In this
post, I will present every useful thing that I have found about the two main
candidates, such as their voting record, career accomplishments, and public
statements. From there, hopefully you and I will be able to decide who we
really want to hold this office.
What is a state comptroller anyways?
Basically, they're a big-wig
accountant, which doesn't sound too impressive, until you realize that it's up
to them to prioritize how state money is spent. They decide who
receives government money and in what order. They are also meant to
be a fiscal watchdog, weeding out fraud and overseeing the state budget and
state contracts. Incidentally, Illinois hasn't passed a proper budget in
two years, and has the worst credit rating in the Union, so the job of
state comptroller is pretty important right now.
Leslie Munger (R) *incumbent
Susana Mendoza (D)
Claire Ball (Libertarian)
Tim Curtin (Green)
For the sake of brevity I researched only the two major candidates, Munger and Mendoza. If you want to vote for someone else, feel free, but be aware that they have virtually no chance of winning.
Leslie Munger
Munger was
appointed to the post of comptroller by Governor Bruce Rauner in January, 2015,
after the previous comptroller passed away. Before that, she was a brand
management business executive with Helene Curtis/Unilever from 1984 to
2001. She has also done significant volunteer work in her community and served
on the School District 103 Foundation Board for 7 years. (For a more
complete bio, see here).
As comptroller, her achievements
include:
- Due to the budget crisis and delays in government payments, she has chosen to make Illinois state reps and senators wait in line to receive their salaries, just like other "state vendors" (i.e. small businesses, nonprofits, hospitals, schools, etc.) who receive government funds or salaries. Before that, the Congressmen and women were still getting their salaries on time, while everyone else was receiving government funds well behind schedule. (Illinois state payments are currently running 51 days late, according to a spokesman for Munger's office).
- NBC Chicago reported that "In her time as comptroller, Munger has consolidated her office, saving taxpayers $1 million, and implemented a series of key tech upgrades, including a new cloud-based computer system that centralizes financial systems for the state. A pilot program is currently underway."
Her priorities and
promises:
- The centerpiece of her campaign is "No Budget, No Pay," a proposed piece of legislation that would withhold pay entirely from the members of the Illinois General Assembly (Senate and House) until they pass a state budget. However, that bill would still need to be voted on by the General Assembly, and therefore seems unlikely to pass.
- According to WGIL, with the limited state funds available, Munger said she has prioritized funding for higher education institutions, MAP grants (which are scholarships for very low-income students to attend Illinois colleges or universities), non-profits, and businesses.
Susana Mendoza
According to a WJPF interview:
Mendoza was 27 years old when first
elected as Illinois State Rep for the south side of Chicago where she served 6
terms. She was later elected Chicago City Clerk (which is the second
largest city office after the mayor's) in 2011 and was re-elected in
2015. For a more complete bio see here.
Her accomplishments as city clerk:
- She rebooted the vehicle sticker program (for which she received the Bright Idea Award from Harvard) by replacing the old system with a cheaper, streamlined one, and ultimately saved the city a lot of money. She said that she finished every year under budget while she was City Clerk.
- She also led the campaign for a law that "prohibits [Chicago pet stores] from selling dogs, cats, or rabbits that do not come from government-run animal shelters, or private humane societies or rescue groups." It's more popularly known as Chicago's "puppy mill ban" and so far it seems to be a great success, though there was a bit of a backlash from pet stores who get their animals from small breeders.
Her voting record
as State Rep:
- VoteSmart.org has a nice layout that shows highlights from her voting record, complete with brief explanations of each bill. She voted mostly along party lines as far as I can tell.
- She did, however, vote in favor of a redistricting amendment that would end gerrymandering in Illinois (although the bill did not pass in the end). This idea is unpopular with Illinois Democrats since it would break their stranglehold on drawing the the voting districts any way they want. I personally think gerrymandering is the cancer of our democracy, so I give her props for voting in favor of it.
Her priorities and
promises:
- According to WGIL, Mendoza said she would prioritize payments for MAP grants, disabled veterans, and seniors. In her interview on ABC, she reiterated that she would prioritize funds for all disabled people, whether children, seniors, or others.
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