Marko Sukovic: Candidate Profile

Back to 59th District Representative

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: LincolnshireWebsite: www.markoforillinois.comTwitter: @Marko_SukovicFacebook: facebook.com/markoforillinoisOffice sought: 59th District Representative Age: 22Family: Grandparents and mother immigrated to the U.S. in the 1970's. My father, Miles, is an attorney who started his own law firm and my mother, Maja, is a dentist. I have two younger brothers and one younger sister that are going through the Lincolnshire school system.Occupation: Graduating Senior, University of Illinois / Sole proprietor of my own public relations firmEducation: University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, Class of 2018. Studying political science and public relations on course to graduate Suma Cum laude. Stevenson High School, Class of 2013.Civic involvement: Involvement with the Mikva Challenge, where I helped connect high school students across the 59th district with competitive internship opportunities in politics. One of the first organizers for Turning Point USA, a 501c3 non-for profit that registers students to vote on over 1,200 college campuses across America. Political director for Congressman Robert Dold, (R-IL10) where I met with small business owners, municipal officials and faith leaders to build coalitions across the 10th Congressional District.Elected offices held: Republican Precinct Committeeman, Vernon 251. Vice-Chairman of the Lake County Republican party.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 for legislative leaders specifically?The first thing that any state representative can do to make the legislature a more effective body is to put their confidence behind a new Speaker. I will not vote to give Speaker Madigan another opportunity to serve as Speaker of the Illinois General Assembly. Speaker Madigan has held that position for over 30 years, and has been a major impediment to enacting the kinds of economic and political reforms that our state desperately needs. I am a strong advocate for term limits on both the number of years a member of general assembly can serve as well as the number of years they can hold leadership or committee positions. No state representative or state senator should serve in that capacity for more than 10 years. Term limits will ensure a healthy rotation of talented individuals in these important posts and will function as a safeguard against the development of political clout. I also firmly believe that the only way we can find consensus and make progress on some of our state's most pressing challenges is by having elected representatives that can be held accountable by voters at the ballot box. Members of the general assembly will be hard pressed to vote the party line when they represent districts that are competitive. And as I witnessed first hand working in one of the most competitive congressional district in the country, we are all better served with elected representatives that make every effort to listen to their constituents.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?Passing a balanced budget is both a constitutional requirement and the chief responsibility of the general assembly. One thing we can do to ensure that we avoid another budget impasse is to halt all legislative pay until a truly balanced budget is passed. This should be complemented with regular, good faith meetings between the leadership of both caucuses until an agreement is reached. The voters of Illinois' 59th district are looking for their representative to be a leader, not a backbencher that is another reliable vote for Springfield special interests. That is why it is so important for our republican nominee to demonstrate real independent credentials that can offer voters with a real choice in November's election. I am proud to report that all of the financial contributions to my campaign have come from friends, family and neighbors who truly believe in this reform effort, not from PACs or political slush funds. This is a refreshing departure from business as usual, and it emboldens me to be a fierce advocate for our district's budget priorities. As a truly independent voice, I will look to build coalition of legislators from both sides of the aisle to deliver balanced budget that makes sense for the 59th district and for our state. I will look to the example set by Congressman Dold, a man who I had the absolute privilege of working for, to be proactive in building relationships with republicans, democrats and independents alike to accomplish this essential legislative function.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?Yes, I absolutely would support both proposed amendments. These amendments are about empowering voters with more choice at the ballot box and allowing their voice to be heard. I would be supportive of a term limits amendment that limited state senators and state representatives to serving no more than 10 years in the general assembly. I would support almost any iteration of a redistricting amendment. One of my preferred solutions is to have an independent commission approve legislative boundaries produced by the general assembly, and empower it with the ability to reject maps determined to be drawn on a partisan basis. These two ideas alone can do so much to improve the public's faith and confidence in our state's institutions, and I think both republicans and democrats can work together to pass these common-sense reforms.What approach do you support in fixing public employee pension systems?We must resolve this pension crisis if we are going to balance our budget and turn this state around. We must find a way to do this without reneging on our obligations to hard working pensioners who have spent their lifetime's earning their benefits. The solution will entail offering all new state employees defined contribution plans and eliminating legislative pensions, among other fixes. The wealthiest 1% of pensioners are making incomes over $100k and they should be asked to make contributions to help preserve the solvency of our pension system. If that requires a constitutional amendment, then I would be supportive.To what extent do you support or oppose legalization of marijuana for recreational use?Adults should not be criminalized for recreational use of small amounts of marijuana. That said, we cannot ignore the negative effects marijuana abuse can have on people and our community. Accordingly, there should be limits on quantity and it cannot be allowed to be consumed in public or while driving. Furthermore, some of the tax proceeds should be earmarked to fund substance abuse education and counseling.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?One of my legislative priorities if given the chance to represent the 59th district in Springfield would be to work with the House Committee on Higher Education to try and find some innovative solutions to lower the cost of college while continuing to prepare students for today's dynamic job market. I am particularly interested in finding ways students can gain college credit outside the classroom and from professional experiences. I am also looking to be a fierce advocate for creating a tax and regulatory environment that is conducive to economic growth. Too many of my friends and neighbors have made the decision to leave the state of Illinois, and they are leaving because our state is not providing the same kinds of job opportunities as our neighboring states. This reality, coupled with a high cost of living, is fueling the exodus from Illinois. It is unacceptable, and it is why I will support a pro-growth, business friendly legislative agenda that will send the signal to businesses across the U.S. and across the world that Illinois is open for business. Additionally, I would look to participate in statewide and county level working groups dedicated to tackling the opioid crisis. I've already had the opportunity to work on this issue while working for Congressman Dold and with the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, and I am eager to get to work with the experts in the field to continue to find ways to tackle this crisis head on.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Barack ObamaWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Preparation is the key to success.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I would spend more of my time playing ice hockey, a sport I really enjoyed in high school and college.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?A course in the "biology of politics" a class that opened up my mind to understanding how other people can perceive the world differently.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Find your passion and pursue it, and don't let anyone dictate to you the terms on which you will live your life.