Hadiya Afzal: Candidate profile

Bio

Name: Hadiya Afzal

City: Glen Ellyn

Website: www.hadiyafordupage.com

Twitter: @hadiyafordupage

Facebook: @hadiyafordupage

Party: Democrat

Office sought: DuPage County Board District 4

Age: 18

Family: Parents and three younger siblings (currently attending Glenbard and Glen Ellyn-area public schools)

Occupation: Student

Education: Glenbard South High School (2017), DePaul University (expected 2021)

Civic involvement: I worked as an election judge in 2016 (primary and general elections), then interned in the summer of 2017 with the DuPage County Democratic Party, where I joined them in canvassing across DuPage and asking constituents their concerns about county issues. I was also elected as a Milton Township Democratic Precinct Committeeperson in March 2018.

Elected offices held: Elected Milton Democratic Precinct Committeeperson (2018)

Questions & Answers

1. Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you?

I'm running for the county board on an issue-based platform because I believe that good policy and moral principles matter more than party lines-policies like implementing a salary freeze on board members, banning carcinogenic pollutants from DuPage, and opening county treatment centers to address the opioid epidemic. DuPage residents deserve board members who are there to work and find bipartisan solutions to their everyday problems-issues I've heard mentioned over and over again by residents of every political background. It's time for District 4 to have a new, independent voice that is grounded in sound, principled policy-a voice like mine.

2. If you are an incumbent, describe two important initiatives you've led. If you're not an incumbent, describe two ways you would contribute to the board.

I would immediately work to go through the board's budget and eliminate unnecessary expenditures (such as $260,000 payments to outside Springfield lobbyist firms) in order to increase fiscal efficiency with taxpayer money. I'd also work to establish legislation to protect the health of DuPage residents, ranging from specific public health policy to support the HOPE task force, to bans on carcinogenic pollutants like ethylene oxide, to a county-wide Tobacco 21 ordinance to prevent youth smoking rates from rising again.

3. Is there a specific service or amenity that is lacking in the county? If so, how do you propose to provide and fund it?

DuPage County has had a growing heroin and opioid epidemic within its borders for a while, and while the established heroin and opioid task force established by the county has created and implemented some critical programs, we need to continue supporting their efforts. Reliable public-private funding partnerships must be secured to ensure consistent funding for the task force's efforts. We also, as a county, need to acknowledge that the heroin and opioid epidemic is just that - an epidemic, and one that's highly stigmatized. That's why we need county treatment centers for people afflicted by addiction, because addiction and reliance should be treated as illnesses, not crimes.

4. With DuPage County's budget being squeezed by state funding cuts and other factors, what initiatives would you support to increase revenue and/or save money?

I reject any mention of raising taxes in DuPage-residents are already burdened under the current weight. I'd instead work to implement salary freezes (if not outright reductions) on the paychecks of County Board members, eliminate the practice of granting "no-bid" contracts to county vendors and ensure that we pay the lowest cost for the best services, and immediately ending the practice of paying outside lobbyist firms with taxpayer dollars to do the work of county board members down in Springfield.

5. The county has been focused on consolidation of services and government agencies. How effective has that effort been and how could it be improved?

The ACT Initiative has been a state-wide role model for local government efficiency and consolidation since its launch in 2012. However, I believe that DuPage can go further in efforts to cut down on the many bureaucratic layers of local government. The upcoming consolidation of the DuPage Election Commission with the county clerk's office is a great example of the efficient consolidation we should continue to strive towards.

6. What is the single most important issue facing your district and how should the county address it?

County finances are the single most important issue facing my district. As I mentioned earlier, residents in my district are bearing a heavy tax burden, and need to see a better use of their tax dollars then has been demonstrated in the past. Some county board members have floated ideas of increasing revenue through sales taxes by drawing more vendors to the county, but that's an unreliable revenue stream that should not and cannot be the only plan of action. Eliminating unnecessary uses of taxpayer dollars and channeling that money into constituent services and concrete infrastructure reform can bring about the tangible improvements that residents moved here for and have been waiting to see.

7. Please name one current leader who most inspires you.

Sen. Dick Durbin continues to inspire me in his firm stances on progressive issues, his unwavering commitment to find bipartisan solutions to pressing problems, and his repeated efforts to bring human stories and moral courage back into our political discourse.

8. What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?

The value of "treating others the way I want to be treated"-a lesson that can now be extended to decency in political dialogue, bipartisan compromise, and respectful debate of controversial issues.

9. If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?

If I was given one do-over in life, I'd use it to spend more time with my grandmother before she passed away. I believe that our elders can teach us a lot about what has been lost in today's age, and I regret not being able to hear more of her lessons.

10. What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?

History and English were my two favorite subjects-they granted me a wide range of knowledge and context for our current climate, and the tools to help navigate my way through it.

11. If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?

I'd tell them to always look back and learn from their mistakes. Just understanding that they failed means nothing if they aren't able to actually grow from that failure.