Mary Beth Canty: 2026 candidate Illinois House District 54

Bio

Office sought: Illinois House District 54

Party: Democratic

City: Arlington Heights

Age: 45

Previous offices held: State Representative, 54th District (2023 to present); Board of Directors, Regional Transportation Authority (2020 to 2022); Trustee, Village of Arlington Heights (2019 to 2022)

Q&A

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

Rising costs are unquestionably the top issue in this campaign. Families across the district tell me health care, child care, gas, groceries, property taxes and utility bills are squeezing them from every direction. I will keep pushing to expand affordable child care, increase housing supply, relieve property taxes by funding schools more fairly at the state level, and protect ratepayers as energy demand grows.

Second is protecting Illinoisans from federal cuts while keeping the state on sound fiscal footing. Cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and education will fall on our hospitals, schools, and families. We need to budget honestly, expand access to quality affordable health care, protect the credit upgrades we have earned, and look first to fair revenue from those most able to pay rather than to working families.

Finally, I will always prioritize education for local families. We need high-quality schools, both K-12 and higher education, and that means fully funding educational programs. I’m proud to have voted to make hundreds of millions of dollars in additional investments in our state’s education system, but it is clear that we must continue to fight for education funding.

How would you assess the General Assembly's handling, to date, of the various proposals surrounding a Chicago Bears stadium in Arlington Heights? What proposals would you have been willing to support and in what ways, if any, might you have approached it differently?

I support bringing the Bears to Arlington Heights, but we must ensure we do so in a way that is beneficial for local residents and state taxpayers. The House did its job: in April we passed a megaprojects framework with bipartisan support that would have given the Bears and other large developers tax certainty while protecting local schools and taxpayers. I was disappointed the Senate never called it for a vote, and I am disappointed the Bears now say their focus is Hammond. Neither side negotiated with the urgency or transparency residents deserved.

What I would have done differently is set a clear statewide megaprojects policy early, before any team's deadline, so the same rules applied to every project and no one could negotiate through threats. The door should stay open to Arlington Heights on terms that protect taxpayers.

Now roughly three years into the elimination of cash bail in Illinois as part of the SAFE-T Act, how would you assess the success or failure of the criminal justice reform measure? What changes, if any, would you support?

The core principle of the Pretrial Fairness Act is right: whether someone sits in jail before trial should depend on the risk they pose, not the size of their bank account. Three years in, judges have more time and information to make those decisions, people charged with serious violent offenses can still be detained, and families are no longer draining their savings to post bond on low-level charges. The predictions of widespread chaos have not come true.

That does not mean the Pretrial Fairness Act is perfect, or that the work is finished. Practices vary widely from county to county, and some courts and pretrial services offices, especially outside Cook County, still lack the staff and funding to do the job well. I would support steady state funding for pretrial services, better and more consistent public data so we can track outcomes like court appearance and rearrest rates, and stronger notification and safety planning for victims, particularly in domestic violence cases.

Any changes should be driven by evidence. Where the data shows a gap, I am ready to fix it.

Illinois homeowners face one of the highest relative property tax burdens in the country. What specific proposals could you offer to ease the burden on state residents?

As a village trustee, I voted every year to hold our property tax levy flat, so I take this seriously. The biggest driver of property taxes is school funding, and the state's best tool is to keep increasing investment in the Evidence-Based Funding formula so local districts rely less on homeowners. I will keep pushing for those annual increases.

I also support expanding relief for the people who need it most: a larger homestead exemption, a stronger senior freeze, and a meaningful circuit breaker credit for homeowners whose tax bills are high relative to their income. We should also require transparent, accurate assessments so no neighborhood carries more than its share.

Finally, large developments must pay their fair share. Projects that receive tax breaks should deliver real value to local taxpayers, not shift more of the burden onto homeowners.

Gov. JB Pritzker recently paused a state initiative granting incentives to data center developers, and residents statewide have concerns about how such developments are affecting their access to water, utility rates, and the environment. How should the state approach data centers going forward?

Data centers can bring construction jobs and property tax revenue, and Illinois should not shut the door on them. But residents should never subsidize them through higher electric bills or lose access to clean water. The governor's pause gives us a chance to get the rules right.

Going forward, the state should require large users like data centers to pay the full cost of the grid upgrades and new power they need, and to bring or buy clean energy rather than leaning on a grid already facing projected shortfalls. They should report water and energy use publicly, and projects in water-stressed areas should face stronger review. Communities deserve a real voice in siting before deals are done.

Any incentives should be tied to measurable benefits: prevailing wages and project labor agreements, local hiring, and clawbacks if commitments are not met. By working with labor, environmental advocates and local governments, we can build a framework that attracts responsible investment without passing the cost to families.

Illinois’ “sanctuary” policies concerning immigration have made it a target for the Trump administration and critics who say they encourage criminal behavior. How do you feel about those policies, and how, if at all, would you change them?

I support Illinois' TRUST Act and related laws. Our local police should be focused on local public safety instead of acting as federal immigration agents. When immigrant residents trust that calling 911 or serving as a witness will not lead to deportation, crimes get reported and solved, and every community is safer. These laws do not shield anyone from prosecution. People who commit crimes are still held accountable in our courts.

The federal government's aggressive tactics in the northwest suburbs and across the region have shown why these protections matter. Families, including U.S. citizens, have been frightened in their own neighborhoods, and local officials have often been left without answers.

Rather than weaken these laws, I would focus on applying them consistently, making sure schools, hospitals and courthouses remain places people can safely go, and helping residents know their rights. Ultimately, Congress must pass comprehensive immigration reform that secures the border and offers a path forward for longtime residents.

Many women in the legislature complain about a culture of sexual harassment in Springfield. Do you see evidence of this and, if so, what should be done about it?

Yes. Nearly every woman I know who has experienced harassment or knows someone who has, and that includes those working in Springfield as legislators, staffers, lobbyists or advocates. Things have improved in recent years, with mandatory training and a Legislative Inspector General, but a culture built on late nights, power imbalances and informal networks does not change on its own. Much of my legislative work has focused on survivors, including legislation to protect people who report sexual violence from retaliatory lawsuits. The same principle applies in the Capitol: reporting must be safe, and misconduct must carry real consequences. We should appoint a LIG who is familiar with the ethics laws and has experience in professional investigations of sensitive and confidential matters. We should give the LIG more independence to investigate and publish findings without clearing hurdles set by a commission of legislators, make substantiated findings public, and strengthen protections against retaliation for anyone who comes forward. Leaders must set the tone by acting quickly when concerns are raised. And those of us in the room have a responsibility to speak up when we see it.

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?

No. Illinois has made progress, but not enough. Recent corruption convictions show how much damage unchecked power can do, and Illinoisans are right to demand more than promises.

Recent reforms banned legislators from lobbying other units of government, expanded economic-interest disclosures, and tightened revolving-door rules. Those are good steps. But our legislative ethics watchdog still depends too heavily on a commission of legislators, and it remains too easy to blur the line between public service and private interest.

Public trust is earned through transparency. Every legislator should be willing to show voters exactly whose interests they serve.

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

I bring legal, local, and legislative experience. I am an attorney, so I read the fine print and understand how laws play out in the real world. Before joining the House, I served as an Arlington Heights Village Trustee, where I helped write our affordable housing ordinance, supported local businesses through the pandemic with initiatives like Arlington Alfresco, and voted every year to hold our property tax levy flat. I also served on the Regional Transportation Authority board, which gave me a close look at the challenges facing our transit system.

Since 2023, I have represented the 54th District in Springfield, sponsoring legislation to protect survivors of sexual violence, protect sensitive health data from being shared across state lines, and improve e-bike safety.

I am also a mom of two, the daughter of a Navy pilot and parents who ran small businesses, and a longtime volunteer with our PTA and the League of Women Voters. I know how decisions made in Springfield land at kitchen tables across our district, and I bring that perspective to every vote.