Arad Boxenbaum: 2024 candidate for Illinois House 83rd District

Bio

Party: Democrat

Office Sought: State Representative, District 83

City: Geneva

Age: 22

Occupation: Full-time candidate

Previous offices held: Geneva Library Board, 2021-Present (Vice President, 2023-Present)

What do you consider the three most pressing issues facing the state in the next four years, and how should they be addressed?

I have knocked over 15,000 doors in the 83rd District since June, and top issues I have heard from neighbors are:

Reproductive justice: We have taken great strides in improving reproductive freedoms, but we must take the final step and enshrine the right to abortion and other reproductive healthcare into the state constitution through a 2026 referendum.

Gun violence prevention: We must continue to strengthen our gun laws, including getting guns out of the hands of domestic abusers and passing safe gun storage laws. So many tragedies could be prevented through these simple measures.

Protecting our environment: Global warming is happening at an alarming rate, and locally we see many communities, particularly lower-income and communities of color, with dangerous levels of air pollution causing health impacts. We need to hold manufacturers and industrial plants accountable for pollution they cause, and pass environmental justice legislation like HB 2520, which did not pass last session.

Does Illinois need a constitutional amendment to reform its redistricting system? If not, why is what we have now acceptable? If so, what changes would you support?

I wholeheartedly support an amendment to create an independent, non-partisan redistricting commission. Our district maps should not be based on partisan agendas, but rather what best represents the voters.

Fair maps also provide for higher-quality representation by our elected officials. With more compact districts, elected officials can be more present throughout their entire districts, and they can more effectively collaborate with other officials (for instance, state legislators working with local or county officials) to deliver results for their constituents. For example, my district contains 9 municipalities, and not a single one of them is entirely in my district; many other districts are much more spread out. I am prepared to remain present across my entire district, and to work with representatives in neighboring districts to collaborate with local governments; however, this split is not ideal.

How do you assess the health of the state's budget? What changes, if any, need to be made in fiscal policy?

Our state’s fiscal health is good overall, however there are some improvements needed. We still see massive inequities in access to education, healthcare, and other resources, depending on zip code and income. It is critical that we improve these resources, as well as maintain our strong pension system, while promptly addressing the massive liability that remains. The most effective way to solve these crises is to institute a tax on the ultra-wealthy — those making at least $400,000 annually, if not more, only on the income beyond that threshold. An example of this, which was specific to public education, is a referendum passed by Massachusetts voters, in which those whose annual income was over $1 million had an additional 4% imposed on any income beyond $1 million. Those funds led to about $1.5 billion per year going toward public education; we can pass a similar referendum to not only fund public education, but also other social services and our pension system.

Are you satisfied with the state's existing ethics policies for senators and representatives? If so, what about the policies should reassure Illinoisans that elected leaders abide by high standards? If not, what changes need to be made?

We need wide-ranging ethics reforms in order to help restore that confidence and improve government transparency and trust. Our elected officials need to be held more accountable, and political campaigns need to be fairer so the public can have more influence on who is elected.

First and foremost, we must immediately implement 10-year term limits for legislative leadership, so we never have another Madigan-like scenario. We also need to strengthen our revolving door ban on lobbying by former legislators, increasing the time they cannot lobby after leaving office. As for political campaigns, political party leadership committees can currently transfer much larger amounts of money than those of individual candidates. These limits allow for many elections to effectively be decided before the voters have a chance to explore their options. We need to minimize the amount of money in politics, and I would like to see publicly funded elections someday, so everyone has an equal playing field.

Would you support a requirement that election petitions include a line asking candidates for their campaign email address?

I would not. Though I feel very strongly that we need more transparency and accessibility of candidates, adding more requirements to nominating petitions creates potential barriers to ballot access. Sometimes small mistakes (like omitting one required piece of information) can disqualify someone from the ballot. Our democracy hinges on ballot access, so I would not support something that could even potentially inhibit it.

That said, it is essential that candidates are more accessible to possible future constituents. Accessibility, or lack thereof, on the campaign trail should be viewed as a preview of how a candidate would be as an elected official. A major reason why I am running is to bring transparency, accessibility, and accountability to the 83rd District, and I am the only candidate in this race committed to being a full-time legislator.

How well do you think criminal justice reforms made in recent years are working? What, if any, changes need to be made?

They have been working quite well. The implementation of the SAFE-T Act in Kane County has been smooth; having been one of the counties to pilot the procedures prior to the law taking effect, we had a bit of a head start, but it has been smooth in general across our state. We have not seen any notable increases in crime, and the accused are afforded due process equally (regardless of ability to post a money bond) while keeping violent individuals off our streets.

I would like to see further investment in tackling the root causes of crime. We need affordable, accessible mental health care, well-funded public education, and safe, affordable housing, across the entire state, regardless of zip code.

What personal qualifications do you bring that would make you an effective legislator?

I have been active in various aspects of government and politics for 7 years. Currently, I serve as Vice President of the Geneva Library Board and as a member of the Kane County Climate Action Implementation Team. On the library board, I spearheaded an overhaul of our diversity, equity, and inclusion policies, which included starting to build a Spanish language collection, a safe gun storage provision on library property, and editing library policies to use inclusive language.

Previously, I served in state leadership for Moms Demand Action, and have worked with several members of Congress, including on Lauren Underwood’s education advisory committee, on Bill Foster’s campaign, and in constituent service in Mike Quigley’s office. My experience addressing issues impacting our community day to day through my library board service and advocacy, coupled with experience providing constituent services, positions me to hit the ground running on Day 1 if elected.