Scott Drury: 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: HighwoodWebsite: scottdrury.orgTwitter: @Drury4ILFacebook: facebook.com/druryforillinoisOffice sought: Attorney general Age: 45Family: I have been married to my wife, Shelby, since 2000. We have two children. Our son is 15. Our daughter is 12. They are both enrolled in the local public schools.Occupation: State Representative, Adjunct Law Professor, AttorneyEducation: University of California, Berkeley (BA, high honors) Northwestern University School of Law (JD, cum laude)Civic involvement: IL State Representative (2013-present) Commissioner - IL State Commission on Crim. Justice and Sentencing Reform (2015-2016) Assistant United States Attorney, Northern District of Illinois (2003-2011) Edgar Fellows Program (2012)Elected offices held: IL State Representative - Dist. 58Questions Answers What personal background and experiences particularly qualify you for the role of attorney general?As a former federal prosecutor and current adjunct law professor, litigator and legislator, I am uniquely qualified to be Illinois' next attorney general. During my time at the U.S. Attorney's Office, I prosecuted corrupt public officials Ãcirc;#144; convicting a friend and appointee of disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich who ripped off our state and took down a corrupt police chief and his underlings who abused their power. Moreover, I took violent gun offenders, sexual predators, and illegal guns and heroin off our streets. As a state representative, I have taken on Springfield's most powerful interests. I defeated the NRA Ãcirc;#144; working to pass assault weapons bans and regulations in multiple communities throughout my legislative district. I have stood up to corporate polluters who threaten the safety of our air and water. In addition to fighting against the extreme right-wing agenda pushed by Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump, I have fought against a Democratic Machine that has been in power for much too long and is hostile to the implementation of progressive policies that will help working families. To that end, in January 2017, I became the only Democrat in the last three decades who did not vote for Mike Madigan to be the Speaker of the House. Given my experience and accomplishments, Illinois citizens can rest assured that as their attorney general, I will always put their interests ahead of political interests and clean up Illinois once and for all.What do you consider the chief responsibility of the state attorney general and how would you conduct the office to achieve it?Although a partisan position, the attorney general must be the independent voice of every Illinois citizen with the goal of ensuring that justice, not politics, prevails. This goal can be achieved through the active pursuit of appropriate litigation and through advocacy. On the litigation side, as I have done throughout my career in public service, my decisions will be guided by facts and evidence, not politics. Everyone in the office will know his/her mission is go wherever the evidence leads Ãcirc;#144; no politician, big corporation or other powerful interest will get special treatment. When national policies or executive orders infringe on the rights of Illinois citizens, I will work with attorneys general across the country to make sure citizens' rights are protected. With respect to advocacy, I will use the office's platform to speak out on, and offer solutions to, the most pressing issues confronting Illinois. For instance, the attorney general should be actively involved in offering solutions to Illinois' gun violence and opioid epidemics and making sure government does not interfere with a woman's right to make her own decisions about her healthcare. My experience as a legislator will allow me to effectively advocate in this way.Is the office of public information public access counselor important? What should be the attorney general's role in ensuring that state and local governing bodies operate in an open and transparent manner?Yes. All government should operate in an open and transparent manner. Unfortunately, due to Illinois' weak Freedom of Information Act, state and local governing bodies frequently ignore the Act's requirements knowing they will face no real repercussions. The Open Meetings Act contains similar flaws. As a state representative, I have been strong in my opposition to attempts by the General Assembly to further weaken the Freedom of Information Act. I will continue this opposition as Attorney General and will advocate to add teeth to the Freedom of Information Act so that governmental units that violate its provisions will face real consequences. As Attorney General, I will make it a priority for the Public Access Counselor to timely rule on alleged violations of the Freedom of Information Act and Open Meetings Act. For the average citizen who does not have the resources to litigate against a governmental unit, the Public Access Counselor is the last chance the citizen has to obtain a remedy. When that remedy does not come in a timely manner, bad government prevails.How aggressive should the attorney general be in seeking consumer protections through the courts?The current Attorney General has done a great job in aggressively defending Illinois consumers from corporations out to cause them harm. As Attorney General, I will continue to protect Illinois consumers in this way. Due to my background as a litigator, I will not hesitate to use the courts where necessary to achieve a just result. Significantly, in my role as a legislator, I have already begun taking on the role of consumer watchdog. For example, when daily fantasy sports entities blatantly marketed their products to children and openly violated Illinois' gambling laws, I took the lead and requested that the current Attorney General provide an opinion on the conduct. Due to that request, the Attorney General issued an opinion finding that daily fantasy sports constituted illegal gambling.How efficiently do you think the attorney general's office operates currently. What, if anything, would you do to streamline the office?Upon becoming Attorney General, I will conduct a full office audit to determine what tasks are being done well and where improvements can be made. The audit will look at the performance of both attorneys and staff. Upon completion of the audit, I will work expeditiously to implement the audit's results to ensure the office is operating in as efficient a manner as possible.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?As Attorney General, I will: (1) protect the public from the evils of public corruption (2) ensure that every person is treated fairly under the law and (3) ensure consumers and working-class families are protected from corporations and special interests/political leaders Ãcirc;#144; including Trump Ãcirc;#144; seeking to harm them. By accomplishing these goals, we can bring about the real change needed to improve people's lives Ãcirc;#144; like making sure adequate funding is available for Illinois' public schools and reforming Illinois' broken criminal justice system. Deep down, everyone in Illinois knows that the ideals set forth above cannot be accomplished if we keep electing the same politicians who are unwilling to take on Ãcirc;#144; or are a part of Ãcirc;#144; the failed status quo. Somewhere along the line, it became about politicians serving themselves, instead of serving the people. As a result, people have lost faith in their government, and that's holding the state back from tackling the tough challenges it faces. Policies can't get enacted to strengthen communities and help families get ahead. Neighborhoods aren't as safe and schools aren't as strong. In order to achieve real progressive change that will make a difference in people's lives, it is necessary to take on the status quo and get back to a system that works for all people. I want to clean up Illinois once and for all. I have fought this fight as a federal prosecutor and a state representative, and that is what I will do as Attorney General.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Robert Mueller, former FBI Director current Special CounselWhat is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?More important than a person agreeing with you on a given topic is earning that person's respect for how you arrived at your decision.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?I am often told that I work too hard. If given a do-over, I would focus on learning to better take advantage of free time.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?History. Understanding history has allowed me to put current political issues in perspective, given that many modern political issues have repeatedly been addressed throughout history.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?More important than a person agreeing with you on a given topic is earning that person's respect for how you arrived at your decision.