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59th District Representative Sente: Candidate Profile

59th District Representative (Democratic)

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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:BioQA Bio City: Vernon HillsWebsite: www.votecarolsente.comOffice sought: 59th District Representative Age: 53Family: I am single and do not have children. I am very close with my mother, one sister and my niece and nephew. The remainder of my extended family lives in Europe.Occupation: State Representative District 59Education: Bachelors of Science in Business from Indiana University, 1983 Masters coursework from Northwesternâ#128;™s Kellogg School of ManagementCivic involvement: I have served as a counselor at the YMCA camp "I Am Me" for young burn victims and helped mentor counselors in-training. I have also volunteered for five years with Marcie's Place Children's Grieving Camp as a counselor working with those who have lost family members, and have served on the board of the Sommer Memorial Foundation, which provides scholarships to high school seniors who have lost a parent. My professional work has given me a keen understanding of the concerns and operations of local governments as well as a strong working relationship with community leaders throughout the 59th District.Elected offices held: Vernon Hills Park District Board State RepresentativeHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers How will you work to make the General Assembly function more productively and effectively? Wlll you vote to retain your party's current legislative leader? In what specific ways do you support changing how government in Springfield works?To solve the many problems that exist in Illinois, legislators need to work in a bi-partisan manner. Every bill and event I sponsor has bi-partisan support; this is my most vocal message to my constituents and colleagues through both actions and words. I introduced a bill Budgeting for Results which empowers both parties to work together and demand results from agencies that receive state tax dollars. I believe in term limits for leaders; I have introduced and supported legislation on the subject. I will evaluate my decision for leadership once the candidates for that position are presented to meIf the Supreme Court, strikes down the SB 1 pension reform, what is your Plan B and why do you think it would be both legal and effective?As a member of the Pension Committee, I am a vocal advocate of pension reform. I voted for SB 1 because I believe it is constitutional and hope the judges will reach this conclusion as well. Our ballooning pension issue is one of our stateâ#128;™s greatest challenges and I will not rest until I have participated in its solution. My Plan B would start with SB 2404, which I supported. It is paramount that our Plan B solution includes getting all parties to the table. The court ruling will provide us with parameters within which we can craft a solution.As it stands now, the 2011 income tax increase will expire as planned on Jan. 1. Do you think that expiration should be reconsidered? Would you support making the increase permanent or extending it for some period of time? Please be specific about what level of tax increase, if any, you would support.I do not support any income tax increase at any level. I did not support the 2011 increase and want it to sunset in January 2015. I also fought and killed the progressive tax proposal. My constituents need a break from high taxes. They were promised this tax would be temporary and those that supported it need to join me in honoring its sunset.Do you support cuts in state spending? If so, what specifically do you suggest cutting and how will those cuts be sufficient to restore the state's financial health and economic climate?I do support cuts of state spending in areas that lack accountability and have waste. Recently, I called for the Governor to terminate the stateâ#128;™s contract with our private lottery provider who severely missed their revenue projections year over year. My budget reform focuses on maximizing the performance of the funds that agencies receive by measuring their ability to meet their goals. Our focus should be on performance of the funds we allocate, to become more efficient, thus creating more funding for all priorities. I introduced legislation to help our business community to grow our economy and create more jobs.What changes, if any, do you believe the state should make in the area of education? Would you support the the so-called pension cost-shift to local schools?Every child deserves a quality education and today not every child receives the same resources to succeed. We must find a different, more equitable way to fund education that is less dependent on skyrocketing property taxes. We also need to help teachers strengthen their skills, engage all parents in their childâ#128;™s education, and give them the resources they need so student performance improves across the board. I support a slow cost-shift over time to reconnect the salary decision makers with the organization who pays for the pension. We can do this in a way that doesnâ#128;™t affect property taxes.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Besides my top priorities of creating a business friendly environment, improving our educational outcomes and effectively working together in a bi-partisan manner, resolving the pension issue is a primary focus until this issue is resolved. Additionally, skyrocketing property taxes are making it harder for our families to make ends meet. I have supported legislation to cap outrageous property tax increases and roll back the income tax increase. I will continue working with members of the business and organized labor communities to support job-creating policies.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Many leaders have inspired me both personally and professionally including my father. Sheryl Sandberg, author of the bestseller Lean In and C.O.O. of Facebook.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?The most important lessons I learned from my parents was the trait of â#128;œperseveranceâ#128;ť and the action of â#128;œgiving backâ#128;ť or serving others.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Traveled to Colorado with my sister and father during the ski trip to keep her awake and wouldnâ#128;™t have lost her at 23 yrs. old.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My favorite courses were those relating to business and marketing, as they equipped me with the skills I needed to work alongside my father.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?My advice to my children and other youth would be to live a principled life, in every action you take and decision you make.