Daniel Kordik: Candidate Profile

Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioKey IssuesQA Bio City: Villa ParkWebsite: http://www.VoteKordik.comOffice sought: 46th District RepresentativeAge: 53Family: 3 adult children: son (28), daughter (26), daughter (20).Occupation: Self-employed Attorney. Small business owner. Founder of Kordik Law Firm.Education: Graduate of Elmhurst Public Schools, York High School 1977 Bachelor's degree in Accountancy, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 1981; passed CPA exam; Law Degree, University of Illinois College of Law 1984.Civic involvement: St. Alexander Catholic Church: Lector since 1993; Elmhurst Noon Lions Club, Member since 1997, Past President, Elmhurst Lions Club: Lion of the Year 2000 - 2001; DuPage County Bar Association, Member of the Judiciary Committee; Illinois State Bar Association, Member, former Chair of the Community Involvement Committee; St. Thomas More Society of DuPage County (an organization of Catholic lawyers); Certified (Chair) Arbitrator for the 18th Judicial Circuit, DuPage County, Illinois Township Clerks Association of DuPage, since 2005,Secretary since 2009; Member of the Villa Park, Elmhurst and Glendale Heights Chambers of Commerce; Past activities include: Village of Villa Park Planning and Zoning Commissioner, 1999-2010; Illinois Association of School Boards: 4 time achievement award winner for board service and leadership: Master Board Member; Villa Park/Lombard Elementary School District 45 Foundation for Excellence in Education: Director 1996-1998;Villa Park Elementary School District 45 Citizens' Advisory Committee on Budget/Referendum 1998-99; Villa Park Vision 2000 Committee Chairperson (led to new streets and sewers); Villa Park Economic Development Strategic Plan Steering Committee 1999-2000; DuPage County Board Solid Waste (Recycling) Committee, Municipal Member, District 2; Education Advisory Committee: State Representative Dan Cronin 1991-1992; Villa Park Youth Baseball:1992-1997 (manager, coach, sponsor); Illinois State Bar Association: Community Involvement Committee 1991-1995, Public Relations Committee 1995-96Elected offices held: York Township Clerk 2005 to present York Township Republican Precinct Committeeman since 1994 York Township Republican Precinct Committeemen's Organization: Vice Chair since 2000 Villa Park Elementary School District 45 Board of Education Member 1988-1995; Board Vice President 1991-1995Have you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: No.Candidate's Key Issues Key Issue 1 Reduce spending. The state must stop spending money it does not have. I will draw upon my accounting and legal background and experience as a business owner to carefully analyze and prioritize all expenditures. The State must reduce its role in subsidizing its citizens' lives so that essential services can always be provided. The State must balance its budget and restructure the way it spends money.Key Issue 2 Lower taxes. Repeal and certainly do not extend the recent state personal and corporate income tax rates. Governor Quinn's razor thin election should not have been construed as a mandate to raise taxes. Lowering taxes of individuals and business will help stimulate the economy. The continuing increases in homeowners' real estate property taxes when home values are dropping must also be addressed.Key Issue 3 True government reform: from pension reform, ethics reform to Medicaid restructuring and reform, to more transparency in government, from consolidating governmental entities to improve efficiency (eliminating the State Comptroller's office or merging with the Treasurer's office as one specific example) to real change in the way business gets done in Springfield.Questions Answers How would you fix the state's pension gap? Should pension costs be shifted to suburban school districts? Why or why not? Should this issue be voted on in a lame-duck session? Why or why not? How can partisan gridlock be eased to solve the crisis?The state's pension gap can only be fixed with a comprehensive re-evaluation of the relationship between government, employees, unions and voters. The widening gap between liabilities and projected funding requires principled leadership to make decisions that may be unpopular, but are necessary. Raising the retirement age, requiring greater contributions toward health insurance premium increases and transitioning employees away from defined benefit plans must be considered. I oppose shifting existing pension obligations to local school districts; however, inasmuch as it is the local school board that hires the teachers and negotiates the teacher's salaries, it makes perfect logical sense to me to require local school districts to start paying the pension costs of their new hires. The State must stop subsidizing employees who do not actually work for the State. Although comprehensive pension reform is needed, the issue should not be voted on in a lame-duck session. That's how we got income tax increase--on a party line vote at 2:30 a.m. Under no circumstances should a lame duck legislature be the body to vote on such sweeping reforms. The voters should have the opportunity to hold their representatives accountable for their votes. Partisan gridlock can be eased to solve the crisis by changing the way business has been done in the past in Springfield and changing the status quo. This can only be done by the voters of Illinois electing new leaders who can demonstrate the courage to make the tough decisions that incumbents and past lawmakers have skirted for years.How, specifically, would you cut the budget? What does Illinois need to do to fix its status as a "deadbeat state?" How will you vote on future gambling bills? What is your view of slots at racetracks? Casino expansion?Across the board budget cuts. As a state, we need to stop spending money we don't have. We need to stop borrowing to pay for programs that we do not have the funds for since the incurrence of interest associated with the borrowing is only digging a deeper hole of debt for our state. We did not get into this mess overnight and therefore the fix is not going to happen overnight either. I will vote against future gambling bills. I will vote against slots at racetracks and casino expansion. I do not believe that it is good public policy to rely upon gambling to fund our government.What can you do specifically to help the economy in your district? How can you help create jobs in your district and statewide? What is your view of the tax breaks granted to companies like Motorola Mobility, Navistar and Sears?I would repeal the income tax increases. I would have voted against giving tax breaks to big companies like Motorola, Navistar and Sears. Illinois needs to create an economy where big companies want to locate here based on low taxes and the availablity of an educated competent workforce, not because the state has given tax breaks to the select few and not to small business.Do you favor limiting how much money party leaders can give candidates during an election? If elected, do you plan to vote for the current leader of your caucus? Why or why not? Do you support or oppose campaign contribution limits? Please explain.Yes, I do favor those limits. Frankly, there should be greater limits on the political establishment and less on individuals who should have the right to exercise their personal liberty and freedom to contribute to the candidate of their choice. As far as my vote for the current caucus leader, if Leader Cross is able to obtain a Republican majority this election, that would certainly be a strong argument in favor of his re-election. However, I will consider the merits and qualifications of all candidates and will vote for whom I believe to be the best candidate to change the status quo and bring reform to the way things are done in Springfield.Should gay marriage be legalized in Illinois? Should it be voted on in a lame-duck session as civil unions were? Should Illinois define life as beginning at conception? How would you vote on a concealed carry plan? Should the death penalty return?Gay marriage should not be legalized. I believe that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. I do not believe that a lame-duck legislature should vote on such changes. I do believe that life begins at conception and therefore I would be in favor of defining life as beginning at conception. I would vote in favor of concealed carry. I support our Constitution and the Second Amendment. I believe the death penalty should be reinstated, but in light of technological advances such as with DNA evidence, that a higher standard of proof should be required for a death penalty sentence, i.e well beyond any reasonable doubt as supported by scientific evidence.