Rod Drobinski: Candidate Profile

Back to 62nd State House District

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: WaucondaWebsite: RodForRep.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 62nd State House District Age: 40Family: Lisa Marie LeBoeuf Drobinski, wifeCaitlin Drobinski, daughter - 8 years oldRoddy Drobinski, son - 4 years oldErick Drobinski, brother - 35 years oldOccupation: AttorneyEducation: University of Notre Dame, 1998 graduate, Bachelor of Arts cum laude, Government and International Relations, Minor in Philosophy, Economics and Political ScienceGeorgetown University, 2001, juris doctorCivic involvement: Carmel Catholic High School Speech and Debate coach (2007-present)Tutor, Midtown Educational FoundationParishioner, St. Mary of the Annunciation, taught religious educationElected offices held: Wauconda Police and Fire CommissionerFremont Library Board trusteeQuestions Answers What needs to be done structurally to make the legislature more effective? Will you vote for your current legislative leader? What is your position on term limits in general and specifically for legislative leaders? Do you support the ongoing drive for a constitutional amendment on redistricting? What will you do to promote implementation of any changes you recommend?Political reform is vital to turn Illinois around. Our state has become a national laughingstock because of the corruption we see in Springfield. That's why we need term limits and redistricting reform. Too many politicians have turned public service into lifetime careers - they accumulate power and manipulate the system to keep themselves in office. The current system in Illinois allows politicians to pick their voters, instead of the other way around. I support term limits generally and for leadership, and, to that end, I will limit myself to 8 years. I also support the constitutional amendment for redistricting reform.We also need to change the rules by which the House operates; bills that are filed should be immediately assigned to the committee that deals with the subject matter of the proposed legislation. Currently, all bills go through the Rules Committee which is controlled by Mike Madigan where bills can be blocked from further action and where many end up dying. We should also eliminate the rule that allows political leadership to block any bill. Illinois is one of only a handful of states that allows political leadership that kind of power and control.The only way to achieve meaningful political reform will be to work across the aisle and unite Democrats and Republicans who want to see Illinois back on the right track. I will work as an independent and thoughtful leader in order to make the legislature more effective and accountable.Would you vote for an increase in state income taxes or sales taxes? Would you vote for new taxes, such as on services? What is your position on a graduated income tax?The people of Illinois are among the highest-taxed in the country. Given that fact, it's outrageous to listen to politicians proposing tax hikes, like my opponent did by co-sponsoring HB4300, a multi-billion dollar tax hike on small businesses, prescription drugs and doctor's visits. Politicians in Springfield have been completely unable to control their reckless spending. I strongly oppose any increases in property taxes and oppose any tax increases generally. Until government can show that it can live within its means and create a realistic path out of the mountain of debt our state faces, increased taxes shouldn't even be discussed. I do not support a graduated income tax. Complicated tax laws only serve to employ lawyers and accountants, and give more power to politicians. I believe everybody should be treated equally and fairly.What changes, if any, do you support in education and education funding in Illinois? Please be specific.The State of Illinois ranks 50th out of 50 states in funding for education. This is unacceptable. The funding formula clearly has failed Illinois' neediest children. However, I would not support a formula change that takes funding from school districts that have responsibly managed their budgets to give to districts that have not. We need to provide a greater percentage of state dollars to low income school districts, but we should do that by increasing state support for education overall, not by taking money from some districts to give to others. The money provided by the state should be tied to requirements that the school districts reduce their administrative and bureaucratic costs. One of the biggest drivers of our high property taxes is that much of the money we provide to our schools never makes it to the kids in the classroom.As a parent of a child in the public school system, I am a strong advocate of providing parents with greater choice over their children's education. I personally have seen how important a good education is. My parents were Polish immigrants who came to this country with little education and worked factory jobs until they retired. My mom and dad worked hard and sacrificed to provide me a good education which allowed me to live the American dream. Equality of opportunity begins with a good education, and every child deserves one, no matter how rich or poor they grow up, or what zip code they live in.On Illinois' budget, specifically, where do you believe cuts need to be made?Balancing the budget and solving Illinois' debt crisis will require our state to do what every family must do - prioritize our spending according to what we need vs. what we want. As a legislator, my priorities will be the needs of the taxpayers in my district - education, transportation infrastructure and public safety. A key part of any solution will also be economic development - we need to increase the number of jobs and businesses in Illinois, which is why we desperately need economic reforms.We must reform the way our state spends our money. Procurement reform would save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars every year. Currently, the way our government purchases goods and services favors the politically connected, while we, the taxpayers, have to foot the bill. We need fundamental reforms to make that process more transparent and competitive to give us a better value for our dollar. We also must cut the waste that is rampant in Illinois. In 2013, an audit was conducted on our Medicaid system and found that out of 419,000 cases examined, 210,000 were ineligible for benefits. Instead of finishing the audit and cutting the waste, special interests stopped the audit, which was only about 15% done. Pension reform would also save our state over $1 billion every year, even under Democratic Senate leader Cullerton's plan. I would work with Democrats and Republicans to control Springfield's reckless and irresponsible spending.What approach do you support toward fixing the public pension systems?We should change the retirement system to a 401(k) plan for any new state employees, who could then take it with them if they changed jobs. Additionally, we must honor the obligations to those employees who have already earned a pension under the contract they agreed to. For all in between, we must create a system that takes into account the years the employee has served and how close the employee is to retirement.We also must close loopholes that allow people to game the pension system by double-dipping. Unlike my opponent, I will not accept a pension if elected.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?Reducing property taxes is my top priority. Far too many of our neighbors have left or are planning to leave Illinois as soon as they retire or their kids graduate. To bring down our high property taxes, we must address the causes of the problem - unaccountable government spending and our state's toxic economic climate which has chased businesses, jobs and people out of Illinois. Today, we have fewer people employed than we had in 1999. Reigning in frivolous lawsuits, lowering workers comp costs and easing the tax burden on small businesses would make Illinois competitive with our surrounding states.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Marco Rubio. As a son of working-class, Polish immigrants who fled totalitarian government, I admire all that he's accomplished and the way he's done it.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?My parents were life-long factory workers, and were heavily involved with the Polish community. They taught me the importance of hard work and community service.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Even the mistakes I've made have helped me grow into the person I am today. I would decline a do-over.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Economics - it's about rational decision-making, and how incentives affect the decisions people make. That kind of analytical thinking has been helpful as a prosecutor.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Be honest with yourself and honest with others.