56th District GOP rivals talk funding, term limits

The Republican candidates for the 56th District state House seat both are eager in different ways for greater controls on party spending on campaigns and for term limits for legislative leaders.

Health care attorney Ryan Higgins, 28, is currently endorsed by Republican party officials, while preschool and day care administrator Anita Forte-Scott, 40, was during her last run for the office in 2008.

Forte-Scott believes better monitoring of party campaign contributions would help keep abuse out of the system. She would favor contribution caps based on a graduated scale of office levels.

She pointed to her 2008 campaign against Democrat Paul Froehlich, in which she said Froehlich spent almost $1 million while she spent less than a third of that. Froehlich won but isn't seeking re-election.

Higgins, despite receiving support from party leaders this time, also favors tighter controls on campaign contributions.

He said the current system makes it very difficult for outsiders to have a voice, compared to the inordinate influence party leaders wield.

Higgins sees himself as being in a unique position as an outsider with no name recognition who has nonetheless managed to win the endorsement of party leadership.

But he while he plans to vote for the continued leadership of Tom Cross as House minority leader, Higgins is also in favor of imposing term limits on such leaders.

Any loss of stability for the Republican party would be made up for by leveling the playing field among Democrats as well, Higgins said. Michael Madigan has been leader of the Democrats for many years.

Another way of limiting the power of party leaders would be to move the primaries back to their former time later in the spring, Higgins said, to give newcomers more time after the holidays to be heard.

Forte-Scott also favors term limits for legislative leaders, but said she recognizes the experience value of allowing at least two or three terms.

She said though that she's unlikely to vote in favor of Cross continuing as minority leader even though he endorsed her two years ago.

Forte-Scott said her main interest in running - then as now - was to be the best representative of the district. But she said she felt used in an all-out vendetta by Cross in 2008 against party turncoat Froehlich, who had switched parties while in office.

"I just feel that negative campaigning makes people angry," Forte-Scott said. "Sometimes it backfires."

The Democratic candidate for the 56th House district, Michelle Mussman, has no primary opposition on Feb. 2.

The 56th District includes Schaumburg and portions of Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hanover Park, Roselle and Bloomingdale.