Martin J. Moylan: 2022 candidate for Illinois House 55th District

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office sought: Illinois House 55th District

City: Des Plaines

Age: 71

Occupation: State Representative

Previous offices held: 2nd Ward Alderman of Des Plaines, Mayor of Des Plaines

Q&A

Q: What needs to be done structurally to make the legislature more effective? What is your position on term limits in general and for legislative leaders specifically?

A: We have one of the greatest kinds of term limits, they are called elections. What needs to happen to make the legislature effective is making sure that people are participating in elections, and aware of the gravity of the decisions we are facing.

Q: Federal assistance has enabled the state to make important advances toward improving its budget. What will you do to ensure these advances continue when the federal aid is gone?

A: We have made incredible progress in Illinois toward improving our budget and recovering our good credit standing, but we cannot stop there. We have to continue to make wise decisions not only to save money now, but to prevent ourselves from digging our state into a fiscal hole in the future.

This means continuing to spend wisely on long term infrastructure investment, and focus our attention on job training and education to help our labor force adjust to the increasingly advancing job market.

Obviously, there are always things we can do to cut costs and budget wisely. We have to live within our means as a state, but this cannot come at the expense of funding programs that protect the most vulnerable among us, or by putting off small problems today that can get out of control in the future.

Q: To what extent are you happy or unhappy with the evidence-based model for education funding now in place in Illinois? How would you define "adequate" state funding for Illinois schools and what will you do to promote that?

A: Curriculum in schools should always be focused on meeting the needs of the students and getting the most out of our teachers. That means that we must keep our curriculum up to date with the best possible standards available.

Due to our continued budget struggles, the State of Illinois has failed to meet many of our obligations to local school systems throughout the years. Not only is this a disservice to our educators, it is contributing to our ongoing property tax problems in Cook County.

One of the biggest reasons people move to my district is our fantastic school systems. I will continue to support efforts to modernize our curriculum and standards so that the students get the best education available to them.

Q: Do you believe elections in Illinois are free and fair? What changes, if any, are needed regarding election security and voter access?

A: While other states in the nation charge forward with measures to restrict voting access and keep people away from the polls, Illinois has served as a model on free, fair and open elections.

I have spoken to voters in my district, many of whom voted by mail for the first time during the pandemic. When given the option in 2022, many of them have continued the practice. Making it easier for registered voters to get their ballot, and turn it in on their own time increases awareness and participation.

What we have seen threatening our elections in Illinois and the rest of the country is not participation from our people, but lies and misinformation spread by hostile foreign powers and people who are desperate to cling to power domestically.

These kinds of lies are not just harmful to our democracy, they are dangerous to our people and public servants alike. If we are not vigilant, we risk losing what makes this country and this state great to begin with.

Q: How well has Illinois responded to Supreme Court indications that it considers abortion, gay marriage and other social issues to be state, not federal, responsibilities? What if anything needs to be done in these areas and what would you do to make your vision come to pass?

A. In 2018 we saw the threat that was on the horizon for Roe v. Wade and other measures to protect the rights of Illinoisans from judicial overreach in Washington. The Supreme Court has become weaponized against our own people.

In Illinois, we made sure gay marriage was established before the Supreme Court made it the law of the land, and in 2019 I voted for the Reproductive Health Act, which protects Roe v. Wade in Illinois even now that the Supreme Court has reversed their nearly 50-year-old decision.

I will continue to fight to protect my district and the people of this state against the onslaught of a Supreme Court bent on taking away rights from our citizens rather than protecting them.