ALTON – With election day coming next Tuesday for the mid-terms, many people across the country are pushing for high voter turnouts.
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Social media is full of political ads, voter education, and people displaying their early voting stickers for what is forming into an extremely important election cycle for Democrats, Republicans and Independents alike. Many state and local positions are currently up for grabs, and Riverbender.com's voting guide aims to inform those still on the fence about the candidates from whom they are given choices.
Much of this information is public record, but some of the candidates were able to complete questionnaires sent by reporters. Not everyone responded to those, so research into campaign promises, funding and voting records was conducted in order to properly display the candidates and what each represents.
For the contentious position of State Senator of the 56th Legislative District, Rachelle Aud Crowe and Edwardsville Mayor Hal Patton are battling for the seat of longtime Senator Bill Haine who recently left the office and retired. Crowe is a Democrat and Patton is running on the Downstate United platform. Both Crowe and Patton finished questionnaires sent by Riverbender.com.
RACHELLE AUD CROWE
Here are the questions sent to Crowe and the answers she returned:
What pushed you to seek this office?
For decades, the State of Illinois has been careening from one crisis to another, operating without a plan to reign in spending or grow jobs. Governor Rauner and career politicians’ failure to pass a budget only added to the disorder.
For nearly three years, Illinois operated without a spending plan in place, wasting nearly $1 billion in late fee penalties and increasing skepticism of state government by the nearly 13 million residents who call Illinois home.
The budget impasse not only hurt us financially but caused lasting damage to our reputation and image.
As the budget impasse carried on, I grew more and more frustrated by the lack of urgency expressed by our governor and career politicians. While ordinary Illinoisans suffered, our political leaders grew more and more ineffective.
I am running for State Senate to bring an independent, fresh voice to Springfield. If elected, I will work with legislators on both sides of the aisle to confront head-on the challenges facing our state and will not look for scapegoats.
If you were to attain it by the will of the people, what would your first action be?
In order to ensure career politicians never again fail to pass a balanced budget, I will be filing legislation to prevent legislators from getting paid should they not pass a balanced budget.
Returning Illinois to fiscal stability must be our number goal in the months and years ahead.
What do you believe are the most important issues for your district? What plans do you have to solve them? (Combined answer below)
For years, our area was a hub of manufacturing activity. I have family members who have worked at the oil refinery, Laclede Steel and Olin Brass. While many good-paying jobs still remain in our region, we are not doing nearly enough to invest in skills training and jobs programs. With our vast network of quality community colleges, we must ensure all laid off workers and high school students choosing not to attend college have a marketable set of skills to be able to gain employment and provide for their families.
Education funding is another important issue for our region. For years, wealthy Chicago-area school districts were prioritized above our local schools, leading to fewer resources in the classroom and higher property taxes for homeowners and small businesses. Last year, the General Assembly passed a historic overhaul to the way schools are funded, increasing state funding of schools in our area by $10 million in the last two years alone. We must continue this progress next year to ensure our schools receive fair funding and relieve the property tax burden on homeowners.
Describe your background a bit (career, education, skills, accomplishments, etc)
I was raised in Wood River in a household with deep roots in manufacturing. In fact, my mother still works at the oil refinery in Wood River and taught me the importance of a hard days work. After graduating from Roxana High School, I attended Lewis & Clark College and obtained my law degree from Saint Louis University.
I am currently an Assistant States Attorney in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office, where I have worked in the Violent Crimes Division as well as the Drug Court Program. In my role as a prosecutor, I have worked to ensure violent criminals are off the streets and justice is delivered for crime victims. I have also worked to ensure those battling opioid and other addictions have the resources they need to recover instead of lengthy jail sentences.
How would you describe your ability to reach across the aisle and find common ground with your ideological opponents?
I have grown accustomed to being an independent voice on the issues facing our communities. That independence has taught me the importance of compromise and bringing both sides of the political spectrum together to get things done.
Could you give me your opinion on the following people and issues?
- Current Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner
Bruce Rauner has failed Illinois. For nearly three years, he held our state hostage and demanded the Legislature pass his anti-worker agenda before he would work towards passing a balanced budget. Real people were hurt by his decision to not step up and lead our state. Schools didn’t receive promised state payments, programs serving low-income seniors meals were eliminated and college students lost their financial aid.
His opponent J.B. Pritzker I support J.B. Pritzker due to his support of working families and his support of ensuring we have on-time, balanced budgets in Illinois, which separates him from our current governor.
Corporate subsidies in the State of Illinois
One of the biggest issues facing our area is the lack of quality, good-paying jobs. While subsidies for business growth and development are sometimes needed to lure large developments, relying on them too heavily shifts the tax burden from large corporations to middle-class families.
A more effective economic development strategy involves investing in the workforce and infrastructure of our region. Businesses are lured to areas with talented workers with marketable skills, a highly developed infrastructure network and local leaders who work together for the betterment of the region. Tort reform in Madison and St. Clair Counties Tort reform is a popular political buzzword, but is far more complex than many politicians like to paint it. Reforming the system is a challenge that requires good faith negotiations among all interest groups. In Springfield, I’ll work to bring all parties together to strike a balance that benefits the state as a whole. The opioid epidemic As a prosecutor who has worked in the Madison County Drug Court Program, I have seen first-hand the devastating effects of the opioid epidemic. Families from all walks of life and all socio-economic backgrounds have been torn apart and lives have been ruined from addiction to opioids and painkillers. Too many Illinoisans suffering from addiction still lack access to rehabilitation services to begin to heal and live productive lives. We must expand access to ensure everyone has the services and resources needed. We must ensure we are addressing this issue at its source. For too long, over-prescribed opioid prescriptions have led to addiction from users and abuse by family members and teens. I also believe we must do more to educate our youth on the dangers to opioids, heroine and other dangerous prescription drugs Illinois School Funding For decades, Illinois had one of the most inequitable school funding formulas in the nation. Wealthy Chicago-area schools received more state money while our local schools were shortchanged, leading to fewer resources in the classroom and ever-increasing property taxes for local homeowners. Last year, the General Assembly finally passed historic school funding reform that begins to change this inequitable process. Under the new plan, schools in the 56th District have received nearly $10 million in new state funding in just two years. We must continue this progress. I vow to fight to increase school funding for our local schools to ensure every child receives a top-notch education regardless of their zip code and reduce the burden of property taxes. Race relations in Madison County as well as on a state and national level As a prosecutor, I have always made it my priority to treat everyone with respect and dignity. If elected, I vow that I will continue to be proactive in discussing issues with all community leaders to help avoid some of the contentious problems we have seen at the state and national level. The #MeToo movement. As a prosecutor, I have seen how difficult it can be for victims of serious crimes to address their accusers. I believe it is paramount for victims to address their traumas for healing to begin to occur. Gun control I grew up in a family of hunters and learned at an early age the importance of being a responsible gun owner. I have a concealed carry license and frequently carry on my person to protect myself and my family. I support lawful gun owners but realize in a criminal’s hand guns can wreak havoc on our communities. As a prosecutor in the Violent Crimes Unit in the Madison County State’s Attorney’s office, I have prosecuted violent gun crimes against murderers and gang members. I have seen the effects that illegal guns can have in the wrong hands and have fought to protect our communities from these illegal firearms. Marijuana legalization As a prosecutor who was assigned to the Drug Court Program, I have seen first-hand the tragic effects of the opioid epidemic. I support expanding the medical marijuana program to ensure patients have options when treating chronic pain without having to rely on highly-addictive opioid prescriptions that can have tragic long-term effects. I also support expanding the number of medical conditions that can be treated with medical marijuana. FUNDING Here is a list of who funds Crowe and by how much, according to Illinois Sunshine, an organization which tracks campaign funding in real time: Illinois Democratic Heartland - $1,106,499.12 Illinois Laborers' Legislative Committee - $110,800 Engineers Political Education Committee - $110,800 I.P.A.C.E. - $55,400 Illinois Federation of Teachers COPE - $55,400 IBEW Illinois PAC - $50,000 Chicago Land Operators Joint Labor Management PAC - $41,600 Health Care Council of Illinois PAC - $39,417 Illinois Pipe Trades PAC Account - $28,500 Associated Fire Fighters of IL PAC Fund - $25,000 Bennett for Senate -$22,000 AFSCME Illinois Council No. 31 PAC - $20,000 Gori Julian and Associates, P.C. - $16,830 Simmons Hanley Conroy - $11,100 Newsweb Corporation - $11,100 SEIU Healthcare IL IN PAC - $10,000 Friends of Don Harmon - $10,000 Pipefitters' Association Local 597 - $10,000 Ed Dowd - $7,000 IRTA PAC - $6,000 HAL PATTON Here are Patton's answers to questions sent by Riverbender.com What pushed you to seek this office? Like so many others I have sat back and watched how our state has been devastated by the decisions being made in Springfield. Tax increases, growing debt, and still no balanced budget. I have been successful in growing a community in Edwardsville as Mayor for the past five and a half years. I believe the experiences I have here will help me bring great results to the entire 56th District If you were to attain it by the will of the people, what would your first action be? My first action in Springfield would be to put my support behind policies that the vast majority of citizens in the 56th District and the state support. These issues include job creation and retention, term limits to eliminate career politicians, no pay for lawmakers if they cannot pass a balanced budget, and a fair map amendment so the voters are able to choose their representatives without political manipulation. What do you believe are the most important issues for your district? During the campaign I have had the pleasure to knock on doors and talk to voters across the district. In every part of the district I have heard people wanting to leave the state because of high taxes and not enough good paying jobs. We need more good paying jobs in this state and I have been successful in Edwardsville by bringing in over 4,800 good paying jobs over the past five and a half years. I have also heard about the devastating impact the recent income tax hikes have had on citizens. We don’t need any more tax hikes that will just drive more citizens out of the state and to tax friendlier states. Skyrocketing property taxes are forcing people out of their homes. We need to do all we can as a state to keep our citizens here. What plans do you have to solve them? I would be in support of lowering the tax rate to the level it was before the two Madigan lead tax hikes. We need to stop the outmigration, and lowering the tax rate would go a long way to keeping our citizens here. This would help by expanding the tax base to offset the loss of revenue by lowering the tax rate. Lowering the tax rate also helps in keeping businesses and attracting job creators to Illinois. If we can have a thriving state that is creating jobs people will again look at Illinois as a place they want to bring their family. Describe your background a bit (career, education, skills, accomplishments, etc) I have been blessed to live my life’s dream here in Madison County. I grew up here and received a great elementary and high school education. After dental school I started my dental practice in Edwardsville that I still run today. The people of Madison County have been so good to me throughout my life and that has driven me to give back through public service. I have been proud to serve on the Edwardsville City Council, the Madison County Board, and as Mayor of Edwardsville. I have also been happy to give back to many charity and relief efforts in the area including sandbagging in Alton and planting all the trees on the Edwardsville High School campus. Now my focus is on the next generation. How would you describe your ability to reach across the aisle and find common ground with your ideological opponents? During my time on the City Council, County Board, and as Mayor I have had to work across the aisle if I wanted to get things accomplished. When I first started on the County Board there were very few Republicans. To get results for the citizens of Madison County I worked across the aisle and found common ground with Democrats. We were able to do great things for the citizens here and made Madison County a better place to live. As Mayor we have been successful working together in a bipartisan fashion. We understand that people have different ideological beliefs but we have put that aside to help create a strong community. We have never been nasty in our debates and always find common ground. Could you give me your opinion on the following people and issues? *Current Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner Governor Rauner was elected by the voters of Illinois to fight back against the power of Mike Madigan. He has been able make some progress but maybe not everything the voters wanted. I don’t support every policy that Governor Rauner has fought for but fighting back against Mike Madigan’s reign on Illinois is certainly a policy I support. *His opponent J.B. Pritzker J.B. Pritzker is a candidate running on policies that would be disastrous for Metro East families. A graduated income tax hike and a vehicle mileage tax would hit working families hard and are policies I would never support. Illinois needs a leader who is willing to work against Mike Madigan not the candidate he handpicked. *Corporate subsidies in the State of Illinois I’m against subsidies for corporations here in Illinois. We need to make Illinois a more business friendly state so we can attract employers without giving out subsidies. There are areas such as worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance where we can be more competitive with other states. With these reforms we can be a competitive state without giving out subsidies. *Tort reform in Madison and St. Clair Counties I’m in favor of tort reform. Madison and St. Clair County courtrooms are nationally known to have been used to make trial lawyers billions of dollars. I’m proud of the reforms I was able to spearhead on the Madison County Board which kept more of those dollars here in the Metro East and allowed Madison County to pay down building and pension debt. *The opioid epidemic As a healthcare professional I have been on the front lines of this battle. I understand how serious these drugs are and have very rarely prescribed them in my 24 years of dentistry. There have been strides made by the federal government to combat the epidemic but there needs to be more done. Continuing education should be required for all providers, just as for CPR certification. Additional measures should include prescription drug monitoring programs including information from all states and profiteering drug companies should be providing more funding for addiction treatment centers. *Illinois School Funding The General Assembly recently passed school funding reform but more needs to be done. Number one on the list of reforms is to reverse the hundreds of millions of dollars Chicago received off the top. Our schools in the Metro East deserve to be treated the same as Chicago schools. Education for our children is the most important service government can provide. *Race relations in Madison and St. Clair County as well as on a state and national level I’m proud of the community we have built during my time serving as Mayor. We have a vibrant and diverse community with people of every race and ethnicity. There is always more to do and I will gladly be a part of any ongoing efforts to improve race relations in the Metro East. *The #MeToo movement. It has been inspiring to watch the women who have come forward face the challenges that they were dealt. They’re brave in the face of great pressure from powerful people telling them to be quiet. My campaign has had a strict no sexual harassment policy and has required every employee to sign a sexual harassment policy. I will be a champion of women’s issues in the Senate including the ERA amendment and Equal Pay. *Gun control Gun control needs to be about getting firearms out of the hands of criminals. Law abiding citizens have not been an issue when it comes to gun violence. I’m a supporter of the 2nd amendment and proud to have the endorsement of the NRA. From a young age my father taught me gun safety and I have continued that with my children. *Marijuana legalization I believe we need to move quicker on approval of conditions that should have access to medical cannabis. The Department of Public Health has historically dragged its feet on the issue and I will advocate for expedited approval. Legislatively, removal of the fingerprint mandate (which slows access to medicine) should be removed, along with any other barriers that slow access to medicine for those who need it. I am also open to a conversation on making Illinois a recreational cannabis state in a taxable safe manner. FUNDING Here is who funds Patton and by how much, according to Illinois Sunshine, an organization tracking real time political funding: RSSCC - $578,680.05 Illinois Republican Party - $78,150.38 Hal Patton - $28,339.86 Illinois State Rifle Association – Political Victory Fund - $14,602.50 DENT-IL-PAC - $10,000 Robert Connors - $5,118 Triple Crown Partners, LLC - $5,000 Corey Wenzel - $5,000 Jil Tracy for State Senate - $3,000 Wallace and April Anderson - $2,600 Steven J. Hyten - $2,500 Jeffery and Deborah Lantz - $2,500 Illinois Citizens for Life PAC - $2,104.20 Dale Keller - $2,000 C. David Brickman - $2,000 Kerry Baugher - $2,000 Friends of Chuck Weaver - $2,000 Lantz Home, INC. - $2,000 Stephen Ellsworth - $2,000 Alan Thomilson - $1,700
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