Endorsement: Moylan in Illinois House District 55

Marty Moylan has been in the Illinois House for almost four years now, but you can still see the suburban mayor in him.

The hands-on, solutions-oriented approach he took to municipal government, first as an alderman in Des Plaines and later as its mayor, is the same approach he's taken to his job in the state legislature.

See a problem, fix a problem. That's the Moylan mindset, and it's refreshing in a General Assembly that seems almost frozen by partisan gridlock.

He's not afraid to work across the aisle, and he's not afraid to make some noise. He splits with party doctrine when it doesn't make real-world sense to him. He builds effective relationships.

"I believe we can move the state forward by approaching things differently," the Democrat told us and voters in his election questionnaire. "We need to compromise and commit to working together."

We heartily agree and endorse Moylan over Dan Gott, a Des Plaines resident who is a board member and chaplain for the Republicans of Maine Township Organization.

Gott makes a strong and admirable case for structural reforms in state government, but he lacks the incumbent's documented experience at getting things done.

In addition to Des Plaines, House District 55 takes in parts of Arlington Heights, Elk Grove Village, Mount Prospect, Park Ridge, Rolling Meadows and Schaumburg while also extending into the Edison Park neighborhood of Chicago.