Endorsement: Drobinski in House District 62
In June, we objected to Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's budget that was said to be $7 billion out of balance and was rejected even by some fellow Democrats in the suburbs. That budget never came to pass, but among those who voted for it was Round Lake Beach Democrat Sam Yingling, casting just one of several votes on various issues that leave us uneasy about Yingling's allegiance to the iron rule of Madigan.
At a critical time when Illinois finances are deep underwater and the General Assembly is immobilized by partisan alliances, it's time for voters in Illinois House District 62 to consider a different representative.
Republican challenger Rod Drobinski of Wauconda is a good alternative, and we endorse him in the Nov. 8 election. Drobinski said he could work toward a balanced state budget in a bipartisan manner and said while he favors Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner's Turnaround Agenda — a program of pro-business changes and a big sticking point in a budget compromise — he could support a budget that did not include all of Rauner's tenets.
Drobinski, a Lake County assistant state's attorney, is like Yingling in being a lifelong Lake County resident and graduate of Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein. In his second campaign against Yingling, Drobinski has substantial financial backing from state and legislative Republican organizations, which gives us some pause in our search for an independent-minded candidate but also reflects a reality of Illinois politics. We back Drobinski in District 62.