Issue Position: Political Reform

Issue Position

Pay-to play-politics has a long, bipartisan history in Illinois. Rod Blagojevich turned our state into a national circus, furthering the collapse of public trust in government. While the state faces many problems that demand creative solutions, none is more pressing than political reform that will restore the public confidence in our government.

I have worked for candidates with integrity and an open political process throughout my career. As a grassroots organizer with such groups as the Illinois Committee of 100 and the Illinois Kerry Travelers, I have helped open the political process to thousands of citizens. As a candidate for State Representative in 2008, I ran an independent campaign that relied upon community support rather than Springfield's power brokers. Most importantly, not long after becoming Governor, Pat Quinn hired me to advise him on transparency and ethical reform. My mission in the Governor's office has been to make government inclusive, honest, and accountable.

Campaign Finance Reform

Illinois is one of just a handful of states that permit unlimited political contributions. This is an invitation to abuse and corruption. That's why I support reasonable limits on political contributions similar to those that exist on the federal level. Ultimately, I would prefer a system of public financing for political campaigns, since that is the best way to guarantee that all candidates have access to the public to share their positions and values.

Transparency

The Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) is a critical tool to make government accessible, and I supported the passage and signing into law of Senate Bill 189, which strengthened weak FOIA laws in Illinois. But the FOIA only establishes an avenue for people to ask questions of their government. I strongly believe that the government should additionally work to proactively make information available to the public. In the Governor's office, I worked to utilize online tools to increase transparency. One recent such advance is the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal that tracks all state expenditures. This is a good first step, but as your representative, I will work to make it easier still for citizens to find out what's happening in state government and the legislature. This includes plain English summaries of bills and laws, assistance in navigating the legislative process, and searchable data about effectiveness of government programs.

Additional Reforms

I will fight to enact numerous additional changes, such as redistricting reform to make representatives more responsive to communities, and expanding and clarifying whistleblower protections. All these reforms are designed with a single objective in mind: to include everyone in the political process. An informed and engaged electorate in an open democracy is the best check on corruption. This larger goal demands a revitalization of civics education and a transformation of our political discourse. This transformation must take place one conversation at a time, beginning with this campaign.

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