Ken Idstein: 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: GrayslakeWebsite: www.electkenidstein.comTwitter: @Ken_IdsteinFacebook: @KenIdstein2018Office sought: 62nd District Representative Age: 60Family: Mom and dad at 89 and 90 4 brothers and 2 sisters 5 children 3 grandchildrenOccupation: Sr. Mortgage BankerEducation: Candidate did not respond.Civic involvement: Grayslake Village Planning and Zoning Commission 12 years Grayslake Chamber of Commerce since 1985. Served 17 years on the Chamber of Commerce Board and two terms as President. Volunteer for PADS Homeless Shelter for almost 20 years. I have also served our community as a coach for youth baseball, park district basketball and Grayslake Colts football. I was a member of the Grayslake Youth Baseball Association Board of Directors for 5 years and also served as President of the Grayslake Travel Baseball program for two years.Elected offices held: -Member of the Grayslake Village Planning and Zoning Commission -President of the Grayslake Chamber of Commerce (2 terms) -President of GYBA (Grayslake Youth Baseball Association) Travel 2 years -GYBA(Grayslake Youth Baseball Association) Board of directors for 5 yearsQuestions 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 for legislative leaders specifically?Prior to 1983 the legislature had multi-member districts which provided autonomy to its members. Since the advent of single member districts, the power of leadership has consolidated into the hands of one man Ãcirc;#144; Mike Madigan. We need to break his hold over the other 117 members. We definitely need term limits for leadership. I do not yet know who I will vote for for Speaker, as all the candidates have not yet been announced.On budgeting, what should be done to ensure that the state does not again go through a period of time without a budget in place? What will you do as a legislator to help ensure that the spending priorities you espouse during your campaign are reflected in the budget?The budget needs to be broken down into smaller components, with the individual segments being voted on individually. We need a Speaker who will commit to the members that each will be free to vote their districts, instead of just voting for Madigan's priorities. I will introduce bills to address my priorities and try to get them into the final mix of the budget by working with my peers in the House on both sides of the aisle.Should the legislature approve ballot initiatives either for a constitutional amendment on legislative redistricting or one on term limits? If so, how would you recommend the issues be structure? If not, why not?There should be a constitutional amendment for term limits on leaders. The current redistricting system is not fulfilling its intended purpose as is clearly visible in our district maps. As a new member of the House I will meet, talk and work with all other House members. There has to be some reasonable alternatives that have already been considered for both of these issues and I will join with others to support these alternatives. As an incoming legislator I will work with other members of the House to review and approve the best possible solution to these issues.What approach do you support in fixing public employee pension systems?First we need to educate state employees regarding the status of their pension fund and the fact that this fund is on the edge of collapsing. Then they should be made aware of the benefits of a 401(K) style program and encouraged to push the state legislators to allow them to join such a program. All new state employees should be automatically enrolled in a 401(K) style program.To what extent do you support or oppose legalization of marijuana for recreational use?First the State of Illinois should join the 5 counties that have commenced a lawsuit to help resolve the opioid problem we already have in Illinois. I am opposed to the legalization of marijuana because it is a gateway drug. Every state that has approved it has had major problems. At the very least a bill proposal must address the following issues: Will there be separate shops for medical pot and recreational pot? How much can you buy? Will there be controls to prevent an individual from going to shop after shop and buying excessive amounts? Age limits for purchasers? Will this bill dramatically affect the cost of medical pot? How many stores will sell pot? I would strongly oppose buying pot with food stamps! What will the tax be on selling pot? How will this tax be collected? What prevents buyers from reselling to others, especially younger individuals? Will there be a limit on the number of pot shops?What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?-Workmen's Compensation. Our current system is driving jobs out of Illinois and people are following the jobs. The current workmen's compensation system borders on being corrupt. -Roll back the recent 32% income tax increase and ultimately control our States spending habits. We need to pass balanced budgets instead of raising taxes. -Consolidate duplicative and unnecessary units of government. -Find new sources other than property taxes to fund our public schools in order to lower the burden on our working families.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Bill Gates most inspires me through his passion for giving.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Relationships matter. Being 1 of 7 kids, I grew up with strong family bonds that have taught me the value of families being close.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I've told many of my friends and family that my second calling was to teach. I would spend this do-over on becoming an educator.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Mathematics was my favorite class in school and as a mortgage specialist a good understanding of math is an absolute necessity.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Find peace within yourself and what you do, love your family and friends in the hope that they will always be part of your life.