Endorsement: Reicks for House District 63

With Democrat Jack Franks forgoing another run for the state legislature in favor of seeking the McHenry County Board chairmanship, former foe Steve Reick and Franks' longtime friend and neighbor John Bartman are competing for the 63rd House District seat.

Neither candidate has elected experience. The Republican, Reick, is an attorney in Harvard who ran against Franks in 2014 and lost. He won handily in the primary this spring.

Bartman, the Democrat, works a farm in Marengo adjacent to the Franks family farm. Active in the party, he also worked for 12 years for the Illinois Department of Transportation. Bartman says he is running to carry on Franks' legacy in the General Assembly as a tax fighter.

Reick favors Gov. Rauner's Turnaround Agenda.

Both candidates feel Illinois should do away with corporate incentives. Both favor major reforms for Medicaid. Both favor an overhaul of the school funding system. And both oppose term limits on state legislators, though only Bartman supports term limits for party leadership.

Bartman says he doesn't support any tax increases, while Reick said he opposes a graduated income tax but is open to considering changes in Illinois' system of taxation as long as they're revenue neutral.

Both are earnest and intelligent candidates who are conversant on the issues. However, Reick favors separating the state's hefty pension obligation from the rest of the budget and providing it a reliable funding source to pay it down. That and our confidence that he can act independently earn him our endorsement.

The 63rd District includes western McHenry County, including Woodstock.