Q&A with Javens

1. Why are you running for this office, whether for re-election or election the first time? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what? What will be your main priority?

I am running for state Representative to stand up for the forgotten middle class. We need a true representative government with open communication between government and local residents to deliver for the suburban communities. Our government must be accountable to citizens and state programs designed for their benefit should be approved with revenue sources that also meet their needs. I believe that the state needs to be fiscally responsible in passing balanced budgets. We need to stop expanding current programs that are underfunded and not working properly. Instead, the focus should be on cutting red tape and restrictions so that the people who are supposed to benefit actually receive meaningful help. As a nurse and the wife of a union plumber, I understand the need to shift the tax burden off of middle class and fairly distribute the burden among members of our society. While government reform and ethics are two of my priorities, I am deeply frustrated that our veterans are receiving sub-standard care from the federal government. I began my nursing career at the LaSalle Veterans Nursing Home working with World War Two veterans and I am determined to ensue that our veterans have access to state of the art facilities in Illinois for health care and mental health care and that all Illinoisans have access to affordable health care coverage.

2. For incumbents and non-incumbents. If you are an incumbent, describe your main contributions. Tell us of important initiatives you've led. If you are not an incumbent, tell us what contributions you would make.

As a nurse specializing in geriatric health care and hospice, I have eighteen years of experience working with patients, families, doctors and health insurance providers and know too well the failings of our current health care system. I have worked to bring families together at their most troubling times when they are losing loved ones and I have worked to ensure that medical care is provided even when insurance companies denied coverage and Medicaid ran out of money. I am ready to go down to Springfield to bring people together to genuinely break through the gridlock and begin working on comprehensive solutions to the issues facing the people of Illinois. While I am not a politician, I am a citizen living with common issues and concerns similar to the majority of those living within the 53rd District. As the mother of a special needs child with an autism spectrum disorder, I know the importance of quality schools. That is why I volunteered to run the re-election campaign of the District 214 incumbents in 2007. I wanted to ensure that our schools maintain strong leaders and I worked in a bipartisan manner with them to address concerns of our opponents and provide educational services without raising taxes. As an active Democrat, I worked tirelessly for months to make sure these three Republicans were elected because policy means more than party.

3. Under what circumstances, if any, would you support raising the state income or sales tax? Please explain.

I believe that the middle class and retired individuals are paying an unfair share of taxes and I am not in favor of anything that would add to their tax burden. We need tax relief, not higher tax bills. The middle class is already dealing with tighter budgets with the higher cost of goods and services and it is not right for government to pass additional burdens onto middle class families during difficult economic times like these.

4. Do you support the expansion of gambling by adding slot machines at racetracks? Do you favor licensing and building new casinos? Please explain.

I do not think that the state has a good track record of appropriately managing the current gambling operations we have. There is much too little support for gambling addiction and the state has a tendency of using gambling revenues to replace GRF funding for programs instead of supplementing it as originally intended. I do not think that gaming should be ruled out as a revenue source, but choosing additional gambling as a solution to problems the state is currently facing is not a sound solution, especially as gambling revenues are declining along with the economy.

5. Would you support giving voters the ability to recall elected officials?

There needs to be more accountability to voters in our government. For that reason, I support giving voters the power to recall elected officials to ensure the citizenry is in control of government. For too long, elected officials have taken advantage of voters by saying one thing to get elected then doing another once they are in office. People have lost faith in government and we must work to restore it. I believe that instituting recall is part of this solution.

6. Did you support the suburban tax increases that were used to keep the public transportation trains and buses running without cuts or fare increases?

Tax increases on middle class and lower class families are not the solution to the transportation problem facing suburban families. While touted as a fix-all solution, this tax-hike is nothing more than a band-aid that is costing our middle class families more money. Higher gas prices were already driving more people to use mass transit and increasing money in the system, and the tax-hike did not prevent fares from increasing. Metra raised its rates before the tax took effect, and the CTA is already threatening to do the same. Adding on free rides for seniors and people with disabilities, while noble, is a waste of much of the revenue created with this tax and does not address the need for increased funding and services for paratransit. I believe that the state should work harder to get more money from the federal government to invest in rebuilding the mass transit infrastructure and sufficient funding must be expressly included in any new capital plan.

7. If you are elected, will you vote for the current party leader of your legislative chamber? Why or why not?

I am currently focused only on one election and that is my election for State Representative of the 53rd District. Currently, no candidates have announced their intention to run for leadership in the House. I plan to support whoever is most qualified to lead the legislature in a direction towards unity and upholding the state's Constitution and best interests of the people of the state of Illinois, instead of personal interests.

8. What do you think of the idea, widely circulated, of impeaching Gov. Blagojevich?

I think that voters deserve the power to take matters into their own hands to remove elected officials when those officials have lost the trust of the people they represent. The Constitution is vague on the grounds by which the governor may be impeached and I believe the General Assembly should determine whether the governor's gross misuse of his rule-making, amendatory veto, and alleged appointment and contract awards for campaign contributions are grounds enough for impeachment. The voters of my district are extremely frustrated with this governor and the corrupt people who have already pled or been found guilty due to their association with him. We should be prepared to impeach the governor if he is found to be connected to the illegal activities he is being investigated for.