Donkey
Tails
By Maury Goodman
August 2006
For the "Warrenville
Today"
Newspaper
State Candidates
The November elections include candidates for congress, state office,
state legislature and DuPage County Offices. Democrats running
for State Office are: Rod Blagojevich for Governor together with Pat
Quinn for Lt. Governor; Lisa Madigan for Attorney General; Jesse
White for Secretary of State; Dan Hynes for Comptroller; and Alexi
Giannoulias for Treasurer. Here are excerpts from campaign
literature for two of these candidates.
Lisa Madigan for Attorney
General
Lisa Madigan is the state’s chief legal officer. The office of
Illinois Attorney General works to advocate legal issues for the
citizens of Illinois and for its state government. Since being
sworn into office in January 2003, she has worked to pass a lifetime
supervision law to keep dangerous sexual predators away from women and
children, led efforts to restore integrity to Illinois gaming, secured
passage of laws to help stop the spread of methamphetamine and
protected consumers from fraudulent practices.
In December 2003, Madigan created a statewide team of law enforcement
agencies to focus on improving the state’s Sex Offender Registry, which
is administered by the Illinois State Police (ISP). Leading this
team, Madigan has worked with law enforcement across the state to crack
down on sex offenders who fail to register and helped secure passage of
legislation to improve the registry.
Together with law enforcement, Attorney General Madigan has made it a
top priority to help stop the spread of the destructive and
highly-addictive drug, methamphetamine. She has passed
legislation to crack down on meth makers who endanger children, passed
legislation to cut off criminals’ access to the ingredients to make the
drug and most recently passed legislation that brings Illinois in line
with its border states in requiring people to sign a log and show ID
when purchasing medicines with pseudoephedrine (PSE) and ephedrine –
the main ingredients needed to make meth.
Madigan also has provided training for local prosecutors to better
prosecute meth crimes and has provided prosecutorial assistance to
State’s Attorneys handling difficult meth cases that cross through many
jurisdictions.
Madigan is the state’s chief consumer advocate. Her efforts to
protect consumers, especially seniors who often are the target of
fraud, include educating consumers about emerging scams, mediating
consumer complaints and filing lawsuits to stop fraudulent practices
and recover money on behalf of Illinois consumers.
Madigan, who recently received the “Sunshine Award” from the Society of
Professional Journalists, has worked to make government more open and
accessible to the public. In December 2004, she created the
position of Public Access Counselor (PAC) to take an aggressive role in
ensuring that public bodies conduct their business openly and that the
public has access to governmental information.
Prior to her election as Attorney General, Madigan served as a State
Senator and was a litigator at a Chicago law firm. Before
becoming an attorney, she worked as a teacher and community advocate on
Chicago’s west side, helping prevent children from becoming involved in
gangs and drugs. Madigan received her bachelor’s degree from
Georgetown University and her J.D. from Loyola University Law
School. She and her husband, Pat Byrnes, have a daughter.
Dan Hynes for Comptroller
Daniel W. Hynes is seeking his third term as State Comptroller. As the
state’s chief fiscal officer, Hynes has become the state’s leading
voice for fiscal responsibility. In the process, he has focused his
administration on consumer and taxpayer advocacy, government
accountability and long-term budget reform.
Hynes’ efforts to secure state funding for stem cell research
culminated in the creation of the Illinois Regenerative Medicine
Institute in 2005. In Spring 2006, IRMI awarded $10 million in grants
to medical research facilities for the development of stem cell-based
treatments and cures, making Illinois the first state in the Midwest to
commit public funds to this life-saving work.
Also in 2005, Hynes proposed a legislative package of reforms that
attacked “pay to play” politics by dramatically reducing the ability of
campaign contributors to get state contracts. At the same time, Hynes
led by example and issued an Executive Order making his office subject
to the restrictions immediately.
Hynes believes the Comptroller should be a watchdog for taxpayers and
consumers. In 2004, his bill protecting 375,000 Illinois workers from
punitive new federal overtime rules was signed into law. He also
successfully blocked a foreign firm from receiving payment for flu
vaccines it had not delivered. Previously, he sponsored successful
legislation that prohibits tax scofflaws and corporations involved in
financial crimes from getting state contracts. He has also created a
means on the Comptroller’s web site by which taxpayers can easily
determine whether they are among those owed more than $20 million in
uncashed state income tax refunds.
The Comptroller also regulates private cemeteries and funeral homes.
After holding statewide hearings and receiving input from hundreds of
citizens, Hynes spearheaded bi-partisan passage of the most sweeping
consumer protection reforms of those industries in 25 years. His office
also toughened its oversight of crematories and has initiated legal
actions that resulted in monetary restitution to hundreds of defrauded
funeral home customers. In addition, Hynes established a toll-free
cemetery hotline and a special web page, created and distributed a
consumer video, advocated legislation that doubled the plot allowance
benefit for veteran burials, and sponsored the cleanup of dozens of
neglected cemeteries across the state.
Hynes has further demonstrated his commitment to openness and
accountability by providing extensive information on his web site,
http://www.ioc.state.il.us/ both in English and Spanish, about
the workings of state government. His Public Accountability Project has
become an established reporting system that offers a comprehensive view
of what each government program is intended to accomplish and whether
it has met its goals.
During his tenure, Hynes has expanded the state’s commercial direct
deposit program, encouraging state vendors to receive their payments
electronically, thereby saving money and increasing efficiency.
Before taking office, Hynes was a health care attorney for a Chicago
law firm. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Notre
Dame in 1990 with a degree in economics and computer applications, and
earned a J.D. with Honors in 1993 from the Loyola University School of
Law. Hynes is active in numerous civic and charitable organizations. A
native of Chicago, he married Christina Kerger, M.D., in June, 1999.
They have a son, Charlie.
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Feedback
It is welcomed and appreciated
maurygoodman@dupagedemocrats.org