Elaine Nekritz: Candidate Profile

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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: NorthbrookWebsite: www.nekritznow.comOffice sought: 57th District Representative Age: 56Family: Married to Barry Nekritz. Barry has two sons and we have four grandchildren.Occupation: Illinois State RepresentativeEducation: BA, Economics, Trinity University, San Antonio, Texas 1979 JD, University of Michigan, 1982Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: State Representative 02-present Northfield Township Democratic CommitteemanQuestions 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?I support giving committee chairs more authority. A stronger committee system would empower individual members of the House and decentralize decision making from leadership. I am the only Democratic member to oppose the Speaker's rules, resulting in changes that made the rules less onerous. I support term limits for leaders. Finally, I led the effort to impose budgetary spending caps, resulting in balanced budgets and paying down the backlog of unpaid bills.If 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?I helped negotiate and supported Senate Bill 1 as the appropriate way to preserve our pension system and save our budget. I still believe in its constitutionality and hope the Supreme Court agrees. We cannot rush into a Plan B until we know how the court rules. But if struck down, we need to again put all options on the table. The ultimate goal still is to provide a meaningful pension system for workers without compromising our ability to afford vital state services and programs.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 supported the 2011 income tax increase. It has reduced the backlog of bills and supported full pension payments. Now it is clear we still have work to do and I will not jeopardize our schools, social services and health care programs. I support replacing the lost revenue of a lower income tax with a broadening of the sales tax base or income tax or some combination thereof. We cannot pull billions of dollars out of our budget now and expect "cutting waste and fraud" to avoid damaging cuts to services and programs that will badly hurt our state.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?We have made real and significant cuts in our state budget year after year, particularly in the last three years. We have cut back on Medicaid and education spending, asked our social service agencies and health care providers to wait longer to be paid and sliced employees and spending by closing state facilities. We must look at every budget with a keen eye for efficiency and effectiveness. But there are no magic answers out there. Every cut, especially from here on, will create pain. I am for belt-tightening but we cannot suffocate core services in the name of cuts.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?I support phasing in a requirement that school districts be responsible for the full benefit package for their employees. This will put a stop to end of career pension spikes. It will also rebalance our education funding system: schools who pay higher salaries will be asked to find ways to afford higher pensions. Senate Bill 16 includes some workable ideas to revamp our out of date school funding formula. I am concerned, however, that it will hurt suburban schools too much. But I appreciate Sen. Manar moving the conversation forward, much like the path before pension reform passed.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We must be ever vigilant as lawmakers to fight for the rights of those whose voices are not the loudest but who do matter: women's rights, environmental protections for families, commonsense gun regulations in our communities and legislation responding to problems in neighborhoods such as persistent flooding and condo owners' rights. Our work in Springfield starts at home and I am committed to working with my constituents to stand up for what matters the most to them. We are on a better track in Illinois and we must remain steadfast in overcoming our challenges.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Aung San Suu Kyi. She is the long time leader of the Myanmar opposition and has shown courage in the face of incredible odds.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?As a competitive gymnast, I learned that after a fall or a loss, I had to get back up, work harder and try again.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I wish I had pursued bicycle racing as a teenager.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?My university economics professor had great influence on my choice of studies and that has helped my work in the legislature on fiscal issues.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Follow the Golden Rule.