Gordon 'Jay' Kinzler: Candidate profile
Bio:
Name: Gordon 'Jay' Kinzler
City: Glen Ellyn
Website: <URL destination="http://www.KinzlerforIllinois.com ">KinzlerforIllinois.com
</URL>Twitter: <URL destination="https://twitter.com/drjaykinzler?lang=en">DrJayKinzler
</URL>Facebook: <URL destination="https://www.facebook.com/Dr.JayKinzler/">Dr.JayKinzler
</URL>Office sought: Illinois House, District 46
Party: Republican
Age: 60
Family: Wife Jennifer, Daughter Allie, Son Andrew
Occupation: Transplant Surgeon
Education: Loyola Stritch School of Medicine.
Civic involvement: Previous President of Glen Ellyn Park District, Previous Environmental Commissioner of Glen Ellyn.
Elected offices: Glen Ellyn Park Board Commissioner
Questions & Answers
Would you vote to approve a graduated income tax? If so, what qualifiers would you impose and where would you set the brackets? What would the top tax rate be?
No. This would be a disaster. This would send more of our tax base to other states. I favor a responsible approach in addressing state spending and reducing the taxes on our residents.
Higher taxes have been shown to be counterproductive in Illinois. According to the IRS 600,000 net Illinoisans have fled to other states since 2010. These productive residents have taken billions in income with them, draining the state's tax base. We need to attract productive taxpaying residents to our state who will help us dig ourselves out of the hole Madigan and my opponent have put us in. Raising their taxes will only drive more producers away
How big a problem is the level of property taxation in Illinois? If you view it as a problem, what should be done about it?
It is the main reason residents are leaving Illinois. People cannot afford the property taxes. We pay the highest property taxes in the nation. Some residents pay more in property tax than their mortgage payments. As property taxes go up, home value declines. I would propose and support legislation capping property taxes at 1 % of a home's value.
What is your evaluation of Gov. Rauner's job performance? Please specify what you view as its highs and lows.
The Democrats and Madigan who my opponent votes for as Speaker of the House, have been in control of Illinois government during Gov. Rauner's term. He really has not had an opportunity to implement his reforms. He is trying to fix Illinois. If we can win our district and just a few others across the state, we can depose Madigan and his cronies from their ultimate dictatorial control. This will give hope to those taxpaying residents and businesses that have one foot out of Illinois but have not left yet. If we can win and give them some hope of spending reform and tax relief we can get them to stay. Together we can grow ourselves out of the mess Madigan and my opponent have got us in. More jobs, more prosperity, more tax base, and more hope. We can do it.
What is your evaluation of Speaker Michael Madigan's job performance? If you voted for him for speaker in the last legislative session, please explain your vote.
He has driven our state to the brink of bankruptcy. He has taken a once great state and has made it one of the worst states financially with unbalanced budgets, unpaid bills and a massive pension obligation.
We are seeing a growing number of Municipalities across the state finding it impossible to keep up with their debt payments. One reason is because of underfunded and overly generous public pensions.
Wirepoint has identified over 400 local governments that have underfunded their pensions for years. In Harvey, the city's fire pension fund is only 22% funded, police pensions are 51% funded. They have cut critical services to residents. The town is headed for disaster because of Illinois' corrupt public pension system.
The cities of East St. Louis, Chicago and others are not far behind. Madigan and my opponent stand by doing nothing but kicking the can down the road.
State elected officials gave Chicago a five-year reprieve from fully funding their pensions as required. By FY2023, the amount they must contribute to pensions is expected to double to over $2.2 billion or about 25% of their general revenue fund. How will Chicago's incompetent leadership finance another billion dollars of pension liability? They will have to include massive tax and fee increases, service cuts and layoffs.
Madigan and my opponent have created pension rules local government must abide by which have resulted in these underfunded pension disasters.
For years, municipalities have sought help from state lawmakers on pension rules, collective bargaining requirements, workers compensation, prevailing wage requirements, and more.
Bankruptcy will be the only way out for some towns.
Local Governments must be given the ability to renegotiate contracts and debt obligations.
Irresponsible legislators under Madigan's leadership have allowed the pension debt to become so massive it will be increasingly difficult for tax payers to pay for these overly generous pensions.
They have allowed the government to irresponsibly borrow against your home and your future income. Without a bankruptcy provision for local governments the only way for some future residents to survive financially will be to move out of state.
Should there be term limits for legislative leaders? If so, what would you do to make that happen? What other systemic changes should be made to strengthen the voice of individual legislators, limit the control of legislative leaders, encourage bipartisanship?
Yes, I have self-imposed term limits on myself as president of our park district, associations, and hospital leadership positions. It is healthy for any organization to have periodic turn over in leadership. This is what our founding fathers had intended for our government at its origin. Political office should not be a long term, fulltime job. People should rotate regularly in representing the residents of their community.
It would reduce corruption in our state. We must end the unchecked power of career politicians like Madigan and my opponent.
How concerned should we be about Illinois' population loss? What needs to be done to reverse the trend?
We should be very concerned about residents leaving Illinois. There is a way to stop the exodus. If we can win our district and just a few others across the state, we can depose Madigan and his cronies from their ultimate dictatorial control. This will give hope to those taxpaying residents and businesses that have one foot out of Illinois but have not left yet. If we can win and give them some hope of spending reform and tax relief we can get them to stay. Specifically, I will lower property taxes and repeal the recent 32% income tax hike. Together we can grow ourselves out of the mess Madigan and my opponent have got us in. More jobs, more prosperity, more tax base, and more hope "to save our homes." We can do it.
Please provide one example that demonstrates your independence from your party.
I have always been an independent force trying to do my best to represent and take care of all my constituents. This often results in establishment party operatives not welcoming me with open arms. In the primary, our campaign ran against a candidate backed by the establishment, including our Governor and some of the Republican township organizations. I was running to represent the residents. We prevailed with almost 80% of the vote. Now we are doing it again in the General. We are a common sense, reasonable reform movement looking out for everyday families and residents. While I welcome support from my party as their candidate, my main loyalties will be to my constituents and not to the ruling class career politicians from either party. In Springfield I will hold all our leaders accountable regardless of party. I am going to Springfield to represent the people of my district and fight for them.
What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?
I will lower property taxes, lower income taxes, Not vote for Madigan as Speaker, I will Not take a state taxpayer funded legislative pension for a part time job, and I will support core services.
I would be the only doctor in the House.
In addition, here a few questions meant to provide more personal insight into you as a person:
What's the hardest decision you ever had to make?
Join the Army Reserve at the age of 49.
Who is your hero?
Those in the military that have had to leave their families to defend us around the world.
Each amendment in the Bill of Rights is important, but which one of those 10 is most precious to you?
Amendment 1
What lesson of youth has been most important to you as an adult?
Work hard and never let anyone tell you it can't be done.
Think back to a time you failed at something. What did you learn from it?
Keep trying. Don't Give up.