Sheri Jesiel: 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: Winthrop HarborWebsite: www.sherijesielforrep.comOffice sought: 61st District Representative Age: Candidate did not respond.Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Candidate did not respond.Education: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Candidate did not respond.Elected offices held: Candidate did not respond.Questions 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?Because of the nature of the power structure in Illinois, it is very difficult for a new legislator to have much impact on the productivity and effectiveness of the General Assembly. At the very least, though, I would seek to establish good working relationships with all lawmakers and pursue common ground, as I have to believe that at the very least, we all would agree that there are serious issues to fix in this state. I would retain my party's legislative leader.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?As an experienced retirement plan administrator, I have overseen both defined benefit and defined contribution plans. I support a plan that transitions public employees into these plans because they would be protected from the whims of politicians both now and in the future. State workers deserve the security and control of owning their own retirement accounts and shouldn't have to pay into a system that may collapse and leave them with no money when they retire. There is no reason why it couldn't be structured to meet legal requirements.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.As the legislation was written, this was to be a temporary tax and I believe that should be honored. We have not demonstrated that we can be responsible with the additional $33 billion in revenue that we received from that tax hike, as our credit rating continues to fall, pensions are still woefully underfunded and we hardly made a dent in our backlog of unpaid bills.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 would re-prioritize spending, focusing on areas of true need â#128;#147; quality education for all children, care for those who cannot care for themselves or health benefits for the truly needy, to name a few priorities. Having said that, though, it is obvious that unsustainable spending is the driver of all that is wrong with Illinois, resulting in taxes that continue to rise, unfunded pension obligations, billions in unpaid vendor invoices, and the highest gas taxes in the nation. If we cannot reform our spending habits, we will never have enough taxes, nor enough residents and businesses to tax.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?The best thing we can do for education in this state is to attract and retain businesses (raising revenues) and to reprioritize our spending. With regards to the pension shift, I'm undecided on this one, and would have to look at the specific proposals. Pluses: shifting pension costs to local schools as teachers' salaries and benefits would be better controlled at the local level by those who are accountable to the voters and taxpayers. However, I would only support this if there was increased state funding to offset the shift, and if there would be no adverse impact to taxpayers.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?My district borders the Wisconsin state line on the north, and has a beautiful lakefront on the east that is almost impossible to use for any business development. My district and our state as a whole is at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting new business, as Wisconsin offers a much better business climate and accessibility to starting new business there. We must address the disincentives that exist for businesses to locate here by lowering high corporate taxes, streamlining licensing/permitting processes, reforming workers' compensation and removing any other unreasonable barriers to job creation and new revenue streams.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Scott Walker for staying true to his convictions, which has bettered his state, in the face of tremendous adversityWhat's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Family is a treasure!If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Though business and accounting have served me well, I would have continued my initial pursuit of a political science/pre-law degree.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?loved them all. Probably reading, which was (and is) a vehicle for unlimited learning about the world that is still a passion today.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?You are not the center of the universe â#128;#147; live to give.