Posted Friday, October 06, 2006

The race for state representative in the 53rd House District pits two Buffalo Grove men - Sid Mathias, the Republican incumbent, and Michael MacDonald, the Democratic challenger.

The 53rd House takes in most of Arlington Heights north of Northwest Hwy. Much of Buffalo Grove and some of Prospect Heights and Wheeling are inside, including Palwaukee Municipal Airport.

Sid Mathias

Mike MacDonald

The Daily Herald asked Mathias and MacDonald a series of questions to which they provided written answers.

Q. Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you? What will be your main priority?

Michael MacDonald: I am running to bring my life experiences and problem solving abilities to the state representative's office. I believe education and a world-class infrastructure is key to job creation and economic opportunity.

My approach to greater efficiency in government and maximizing resources fit with the desires of the voters in this district. My scientific and business background has prepared me for successfully dealing with budget issues, energy regulation and the environment.

Sid Mathias: I have been a resident of the Northwest suburban area for over 31 years. My wife, Rita, and I have raised our two sons here. We all have had the benefits of the great schools and other services provided in our community.

I believe in giving back to one’s community. That is why I became involved in local activities over 23 years ago. Since then, I have developed the necessary skills to become an effective and proven leader in my district.

I am presently coming to the end of my fourth term as a state representative. I have contributed to the legislative process and to my district but there is still much more to be done. If I can improve the quality of life for our residents, then my service in Springfield will be successful.

My main focus is to help alleviate the terrible traffic congestion in this area and to promote quality education for all children.

Q. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions and important initiatives you’ve led. If you are the challenger, tell us what contributions you would make.

MacDonald: My primary contribution would be in rationalizing the budget and budget processes. Better utilization of tax revenue through increased efficiency and effectiveness of programs is an ingrained part of my nature. Additional contributions would be in jobs, energy regulation and the environment.

Mathias: Since alleviating traffic congestion in our area is a major focus of mine, I worked with the Illinois Department of Transportation and the governor’s office to ensure funding for major road improvements, including Palatine Road, in my district as well as funding for the second track of Metra’s North Central Commuter Rail Service which recently opened.

I obtained approximately $4.5 million for local projects such as the purchase of a medical van; traffic signalization; sewer, water and other public works improvements; installation of bike paths, athletic fields and playground equipment; and for the construction of a pedestrian street overpass.

I sponsored legislation which was enacted into law to require annual fire safety inspections in our public schools and which also allows our local building code inspectors to review new construction plans and inspect the construction process for our public schools.

I sponsored legislation which was enacted into law to license home care workers and require criminal background checks for these workers who help our senior and disabled residents. I sponsored legislation which was enacted into law to require the state police to notify local law enforcement agencies if someone attempts to purchase a firearm and is not qualified to be a gun owner. This is an initiative of mine in response to the Benjamin Smith case.

I sponsored legislation which was enacted into law to encourage school districts to teach conflict resolution in our schools.

Q. Illinois continues to struggle with its budget, pensions, timely Medicaid reimbursement. Would you consider an increase in the state Income or sales tax rate?

MacDonald: Yes, I would consider it, but as a last resort in order to balance the budget without cutting necessary services or borrowing to meet current spending needs.

Prior to this though the state needs to demonstrate a need by cutting costs through improving the efficiency and effectiveness of its programs, limiting any new programs or services to those that can demonstrate a return on investment, targeted revenue raisers, and making better use of any new revenues through natural economic growth.

Mathias: I do not support raising state income or sales taxes. At a time when our residents are feeling the impact of our current economy and are trying to get back on their feet, raising taxes will only lead to discourage our businesses from growing and hiring more employees as well as discouraging our residents from purchasing more goods.

The reason we must ask this question is because of the excessive borrowing and spending by the administration. In order to pay for our excessive spending, the General Assembly enacted fee increases on business.

In previous sessions we have repealed a few of the governor’s numerous fee increases but we have a long way to go. We need to reverse many more of these increases to encourage businesses that are leaving our state to stay or return and entice other new business to come to our state.

We must give our seniors on fixed incomes more relief from property taxes by raising the income level which qualifies them for the senior assessment freeze. I am currently the sponsor of a bill to make the property tax cap on assessments permanent since it is set to expire next year which will lead to substantial increases in future assessments in Cook County.

Q. Should the state financially support stem-cell research?

MacDonald: I’m assuming this question refers to embryonic stem-cell research. If so, yes, the state should support this basic science research.

Normally, the federal government would fund this type of research, but since it refuses to do so, other organizations and individuals need to fill the void. One of those organizations should be the State of Illinois.

Having stated this as a position, I don’t anticipate funding much beyond a token level due to the current budget situation with the state.

Mathias: As long as we have a severe budget shortfall, we can not afford to fund new programs. We lack sufficient funds for our existing programs such as education funding.

I disagreed with the governor’s funding of stem cell research by Executive Order. Funds distributed for any programs should be appropriated by the General Assembly after open debate in committee and on the floors of the legislature.

Q. What changes, if any, would you support in the state’s pension system for public employees?

MacDonald: I’m willing to support changes that help to better finance the system such as dedicated revenue streams, cost cutting in other areas of the budget, and making better use of natural revenue growth.

On the benefit side I can see supporting minor changes such as increasing the age and service time of new hires akin to when social security raised the full retirement age from 65 to 67, which has an impact on the actuarial numbers.

Mathias: The General Assembly previously passed legislation in 1995 to fully fund our pension systems over a 40-year period. That plan was workable and should have been maintained.

The governor attempted to reduce the required pension payments in FY 05 but the General Assembly did not go along with his plan. The House Republican Caucus advised our leadership that we could not support the budget if it included the governor’s proposal. However, the governor and the Democrats succeeded in restructuring the pension payments to the detriment of the state pension plan systems without any Republican votes.

The deferral of $3.5 billion in payments could result in over $38 billion in additional costs to these systems. Now that the damage is done, we will have to wait for better economic conditions and then repay the amounts in future years and go back to the original workable funding formula.

Q. Illinois law prohibits gay marriage. Do you favor leaving matters as they are? Amending the state constitution to ban gay marriage? Sanctioning gay marriage? Sanctioning civil unions? Please explain.

MacDonald: I am against amending the state’s constitution. I don’t sense any great desire for change in the electorate.

If confronted with a bill, I would vote in favor of either marriage or civil unions. State-recognized marriage is a legal matter that confers specific rights and responsibilities to the participants with people able to add any extra meaning or responsibility as they wish according to their personal beliefs.

It makes little sense to refuse this recognition to a segment of the population who are considered a free people.

Mathias: I support current Illinois law that prohibits marriage between members of the same sex. I also support current Illinois law that prohibits common-law marriage which is allowed in certain other states. Changes to either of these laws are not necessary.

Q. How would you characterize the job climate in Illinois? What changes, if any, do you favor making through executive or legislative action?

MacDonald: It’s not good in that outsourcing of high technology, loss of manufacturing and heavy industry jobs tends to be replaced with lower paying service jobs.

The state can improve the usage of current and future tax dollars, eliminate the uncertainty in future budgets giving businesses the ability to plan appropriately, implement policies that address the infrastructure, both physical and human, and support quality of life/environmental proposals that help to make people want to live here.

Legislators can emphasize the natural and/or man made advantages that make Chicago a world class city, whether to attract international companies or U.S. based companies that wish to grow nationally or internationally.

Additionally, using grant money to attract businesses should be reviewed to rationalize its spending, standing in opposition to using the money as loans or equity positions, which would free up more cash for these purposes.

Mathias: We must continue to promote Illinois as business friendly, to attract economic development and create better paying jobs.

When Honda moved to Indiana and Maytag closed its Galesburg plant, the local areas in which these plants were located greatly suffered as well as our state. We must not allow our neighboring states to continually lure our businesses by creating incentives for them to remain in our state and by removing those fees that have discouraged business from entering our state and have forced other business to leave.

Some of these incentives include tax credits for job training, providing low interest loans for business expansion and working with our local junior colleges to provide experts in small business opportunities. We need to attract foreign investments by expanding our international trade offices.

Q. Do you favor or oppose lifting the state’s moratorium on capital punishment? Why?

MacDonald: I’m opposed to lifting the moratorium. I don’t believe it is good public policy for the state to unnecessarily kill people.

Mathias: I would be in favor of lifting the moratorium on capital punishment if the General Assembly would enact HB 2704. This bill passed the House last year but was defeated in the Senate.

I voted in favor of this legislation. It would require a higher standard than the current standard of no reasonable doubt before an individual could be sentenced to the death penalty.

HB 2704 requires no doubt of guilt before the death penalty could be imposed. With this higher standard as the law, we could safely remove the moratorium on capital punishment.

Q. Much of the immigration debate is conducted federally, but many effects of illegal immigration are local. What is the state’s role, and what specific steps should the state take now to address immigration-related issues?

MacDonald: This is a federal issue and should be addressed at that level. Various proposals that I’ve seen to address this either at the local or state level carry too many risks to public safety, public health and justice.

Mathias: I would not be in favor of granting driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants because I am concerned with the use of these licenses by terrorists. We must remember that several of the 9/11 hijackers were able to obtain driver’s licenses. Immigration is a federal issue and Congress needs to take a position.

Q. What changes, if any, do you favor in the way Illinois funds its public schools?

MacDonald: I favor better state funding of property poor school districts with the goal of reaching the recommended foundation level adjusted for inflation. This may be done by the same methods outlined in the question on income or sales tax increases.

Additionally, the concept of a tax swap whereby income and/or sales tax increases are used to offset property taxes should be entertained so long as the public is fully informed and on board with the idea. Also, Illinois can always petition the federal government for higher funding levels.

Mathias: HB 750 was previously under discussion arid statewide public hearings have been held thanks to Ralph Martire.

The concept of a tax swap looks good on paper but like every piece of major legislation, the devil is in the details. Property taxes are a stable source of revenue for our schools while, as we have seen in recent years, the state income tax fluctuates with economic times.

Our schools need stability in funding. How do we replace necessary revenues in bad economic times? Our area of the state produces substantially higher income taxes than other areas.

I am concerned how the tax swap would work so that it is an equal swap and that property taxes are reduced dollar for dollar with income taxes. While the state still needs to contribute more to education we have substantially increased funding during my eight years in the legislature and it has doubled in the last 10 years. This was done without an increase in income taxes.

I am also concerned with loss of local control if we proceed with a tax swap. If the state controls the distribution of state income tax dollars to local school districts, will they influence how the money is spent? Local school boards who answer directly to their constituents spend property taxes.

Finally, as with the local share of income taxes distributed to municipalities, what protection will local school boards have against the state raiding these funds in order to balance their own state budget? Municipalities continue to fear for raids on their funding.

Every session, I continue to introduce a bill to reinstate the photo processing tax that previously went to local government and is now going to the state general revenue fund. We should also continue through the negotiating process to add funding for mandatory categoricals, ADA block grants, fast growth schools and general state aid.

• Printable version
• Email story to friend
• Return to stories