Thomas Cullerton: 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: Villa ParkWebsite: www.cullertonfor23.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 23rd State Senate District Age: 46Family: I live with my wife and three boys in Villa Park.Occupation: State SenatorEducation: United States ArmyCivic involvement: -Lions Club-Boy Scouts of America-Little League Baseball-American Legion-Knights of Columbus-Citizens Police AcademyElected offices held: -Villa Park Village Trustee (2005-2009)-Villa Park Village President (2009-2012)-Commissioner at DuPage County Water Commission (2011-2013)-State Senator 23rd District (2013-Present)Questions 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?I support term limits for legislative leaders and I was a Chief Co-sponsor of SJRCA18. Allowing for power to be held in the hands of one or two people for an unlimited period of time is not in the best interest of Illinois residents. This leads to partisanship and gridlock at every step of the way. In order for the Democratic process to work it is also essential that we have fair maps in Illinois. I represent a politically diverse constituency, but many elected officials in Illinois do not. I think if more legislators represented districts like mine then we would see a huge uptick in bipartisanship and good governance reforms. I've supported the Independent Map Amendment and I support future action to make redistricting reform a reality.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?No. Working families need relief, not new taxes. Illinois has over 6,000 units of government at the direct cost of the taxpayers. The first step our state needs to take is to increase transparency by cracking down on waste, fraud, and abuse. I've passed legislation to increase transparency at the local government level (HB4379) so that we can know how our tax dollars are being spent. Additionally, when the College of DuPage was found to be abusing tax dollars I passed a series of reforms to fight the corruption and make sure public funds are being used wisely (SB2155, SB2157, SB2158, SB2159, SB2174). Fiscal reforms like these are what we need to focus on statewide before we consider new revenue sources.What changes, if any, do you support in education and education funding in Illinois? Please be specific.Ultimately, Illinois will best fulfill its constitutional obligation to fund our schools by increasing and stabilizing education funding across the board. Every year I have voted to increase school funding, and it's important we no longer have proration. I do not support changing the current school funding formula in a way that is unfair to our suburban schools. If we change the formula it should only be based on new revenue coming in.On Illinois' budget, specifically, where do you believe cuts need to be made?We need to ease the burden on working families by putting more tax money back in their pockets. We should continue to evaluate efficiencies and eliminate redundancies in local government and other government programs. In addition to my legislative support of consolidating wasteful units of government in Illinois, cracking down on administrative abuse, and increasing transparency, I believe, we need to bolster Illinois' economy. By investing in businesses and workers we can naturally expand the tax base in Illinois and create significant new revenue. We need to use our highly educated workforce to invest in high and mid tech manufacturing along with green energy sources (solar, wind). By reforming our broken system and cutting back on red tape we can incentivize businesses to invest in Illinois and to stay.What approach do you support toward fixing the public pension systems?I sponsored SB2404 and I think revisiting its concept with all interested parties present at the negotiating table is the best solution to fulfill the promise made to those who have worked and payed into the system their whole lives while getting our pension system back on track.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?I have worked closely with the Ray Graham Association and the developmentally disabled community as a whole in my district. Anytime we can pass legislation to help our disabled community makes a strong and better state. Also, as a United States Army veteran I take great pride in working to improve the quality of life for those that have served our country. I serve on a veteran's suicide task force where we regularly meet with veterans, families, and experts as a means of getting information on how we can end the high suicide rates of veterans in Illinois.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Sister Rosemary Connelly at Misericordia. She's given decades of public service and has stood up as a voice for the most vulnerable. A true hero.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Hard work pays off and to never give up.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?n/aWhat was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History - to see where we need to go we have to recognize where we've been.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Don't be afraid to try new things. And if you do always try your best.