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Endorsement: Drobinski in House Dist. 62

Many in Lake County government were outraged in May 2013 when lawmakers in Springfield surprised them with a bill that included creating a Lake County Election Commission, a new layer of government derided locally as unnecessary, expensive and unwanted. Democratic lawmaker Sam Yingling of Grayslake voted for that bill, which we find egregious for a lawmaker representing Lake County. With that vote as a backdrop, we endorse his opponent, Rod Drobinski of Wauconda, a Lake County assistant state's attorney and Fremont Library Board trustee. Drobinski, a graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, said he wants to cut state spending to 2011 levels, favors moving state employees to a 401(k)-style retirement plan to cut pension costs, and says state income taxes should be rolled back from 5 percent to 3 percent. While we caution against abrupt funding changes that could hit the state's neediest residents hard, we think Drobinski has the energy and intellect to learn what needs to be done in Springfield. On the election commission vote, Yingling said he wanted to support other voting measures included in the same bill and he did later vote to repeal the election commission, but that was months later after Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor traveled to Springfield to lobby against the measure and sued to stop it, leaving us uneasy about his ability to show independence on really tough votes. Drobinski offers the opportunity for more balance in the legislature, and he has our backing in the 62nd House District.

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