Margaret Croke: 2026 candidate for Illinois Comptroller

Bio

Office sought: Illinois Comptroller

City: Chicago

Age: 34

Occupation: State Representative

Previous offices held: State Representative, 12th District: 2021-Present;

Q&A

How desperate is the state's bill paying situation? What should the role of the comptroller be in terms of paying bills on time?

Due to decision making from Comptroller Mendoza and responsible budgeting by the General Assembly, the state’s bill backlog has recovered from the Rauner budget impasse. Bills are paid on time, we received 10 credit rating upgrades, and we’ve made meaningful investments in the Rainy Day Fund and our pension liability. Unfortunately, chaos created by the Trump administration means we must be prepared for continued federal funding cuts and instability. If this office is not laser-focused every day on paying the state’s bills, increasing transparency, publishing accurate financial reports, and ensuring efficiency and accountability, our entire state government begins to break down. One of my top priorities is to provide technical assistance to small nonprofits, vendors, and local governments to ensure bills are paid on time. The payment processing can be onerous and difficult for smaller entities who do not have manpower and expertise. Dedicated employees across the state within the Office that can be reached virtually or deployed to help ease this burden would encourage smaller vendors, both nonprofit and for-profit, to do work with the state and decrease their labor costs.

Many people in Illinois are not familiar with the comptroller's duties. What should be done to increase awareness?

While the role of the Comptroller is fundamentally administrative, I believe there is a lot that can be done to increase awareness. One of my priorities is to implement a “Budget to Bill” public-facing software interface system where anyone could see where in the life cycle public dollars are, from the time they are appropriated to when the Comptroller’s Office pays the bill. This is a system that is utilized in other states, and having something similar here for Illinoisans to have access to would help build knowledge of the office and its responsibilities.

I also understand that serving as a statewide office holder comes with a platform, and I will use that platform to be a strong advocate for the State. The best way to broaden our tax base is by attracting new residents to Illinois, creating jobs, and strengthening the economic anchors that support long-term growth. Ultimately, I want Illinois to be the best place for every child to receive a quality education, find a job that gives them the economic opportunity they deserve, and raise their own family here in the state. That’s what I want for my own three children, and what I will work towards for all Illinoisans.

Transparency has been a focus in recent years. What would you do to continue or expand that?

I will be a Comptroller who leads with transparency, accountability, and efficiency. My “Budget to Bill” system would help create more transparency in our state’s payments and increase trust in our state government. The first decision I had to make as a State Representative was to vote against Michael Madigan for Speaker, so I understand why there is still a lack of trust in state government, and I’m committed to identifying ways to rebuild it. I would deploy staff through a new technical assistance office to help local governments with audits. There are currently four statutes that oversee the audit requirements for local governments and I believe that needs to be streamlined. I’ve spoken to the CPA Society and the Townships Association and they are fully onboard with a tiered system for audits. The auditing requirements would be based on the amount of revenue the local government receives annually. Some have audits that are up to seven years past due, which is often due to a lack of staffing and expertise rather than ill intent. By helping smaller governments meet their obligations, we can focus on rooting out the bad actors and allow these governments to serve their communities.

There have been moves to consolidate the offices of the treasurer and comptroller, what is your opinion on that idea?

While there have been discussions about combining the Treasurer and Comptroller offices, I believe these offices should stay separate. Unfortunately, there have been instances of fraud when these offices are combined, including recently in Dixon, Illinois, and combining the offices could also negatively impact our credit rating. It’s in the best interest of our state and our taxpayers for these offices to stay separate.