Q&A with Mathias

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 have been a resident of the Northwest suburban area for over 33 years. My wife, Rita, and I have raised our two sons here. We all have had the benefits of the great schools and other services provided in our community. I believe in giving back to one's community. That is why I became involved in local community activities over 27 years ago. Since then, I have developed the necessary skills to become an effective and proven leader in my district. I am presently coming to the end of my fifth term as a state representative. I have contributed to the legislative process and to my district but there is still much more to be done. If I can improve the quality of life for our residents, then my service in Springfield will be successful. One of my priorities when re-elected is to continue my advocacy of the extension of Rt. 53 from Lake Cook Road into Lake County. There may be a golden opportunity at the present time to advance this project as part of the negotiations for a new capital construction bill. I will continue to put forth the merits of this project to the legislative leaders and the Governor. Another of my priorities is the passage of a much needed capital construction bill which will create a substantial number of jobs throughout Illinois. The funds will be used for road, mass transit and school construction projects. I am currently the minority spokesman for the House Mass Transit committee and will use my influence to include more commuter trains on the North Central Service Commuter Line when a capital bill is finally passed. This should include trains for both weekend service and additional weekday trains.

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.

The most significant contribution that has had the most impact on the quality of life of the residents in the northeastern region of our state is the passage of the amendments to the Regional Transportation Authority Act. (HB 656) It passed the House on a vote of 62-51. The legislation requires the RTA to provide financial oversight over CTA, METRA and PACE. RTA is required to adopt a strategic plan, a five-Year capital program, an annual budget and a two-Year financial plan as well as requiring them to conduct audits of each of the service boards no less than every 5 years. It allows the Executive Director of the RTA TO intervene in disputes between CTA, METRA and PACE. It provides for additional funding for the RTA and the service boards. Most importantly it provides for funding and reforms to the CTA pension and retiree health care plans. As the minority spokesman for the mass transit committee, I was intimately involved in all aspects of passage of this much-needed legislation. The bill would not have passed without the efforts of Chairman Hamos, who worked tirelessly, and myself. It was passed at the eleventh hour (11:59) before major cuts to the regional transportation system would have taken place. We ultimately presented a bill that was amended on numerous occasions to address the concerns of interested parties and fellow members of the General Assembly. I lobbied my fellow legislators until enough votes were found for passage. Another of my significant contributions is the passage of the "Home Health, Home Services, and Home Nursing Agency Licensing Act." I originally filed HB 44 which passed in its final form as SB 159. The new law requires the licensing of home services agencies and home nursing agencies. One of the most important provisions of the new law is to require criminal background checks of any health care workers in your home. Health care workers play a very important role in the quality of care of individuals in their homes so that it is not necessary to place them into nursing homes or other care facilities. However, we have no idea who these workers maybe or their backgrounds or the backgrounds of the agencies that sent them. It is very important to license these agencies and to perform criminal background checks on the workers. This affords some type of protection to the individuals in need of home care services and helps alleviate some of their fears. Another of my significant contributions was to negotiate with PACE for funding of a local program for 5 townships in my area. I was able to secure permanent funding for a vital and innovative transportation pilot program called TRIP (Township Riders Initiative Pilot). The funding for this pilot program was running out and in fact had run out for Wheeling Township. TRIP provides transportation across township lines to and from medical facilities for senior citizens age 60 and over as well as for persons with disabilities age 18 and over. The TRIP program has become an integral part of our regional special services transportation infrastructure in northwest suburban Cook County.

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

State Government spending is out of control. We are presently in times of a faltering stock market and leading economic indicators show that the economy's growth is going to continue at a slower pace. This is not the time to be imposing new taxes to pay for programs. Recent sales tax increases imposed on the residents of Cook County by President Stroger are just unacceptable and need to be repealed. They will drive consumers out of Cook County and will cause businesses to close or move outside of our area, resulting in loss of jobs and declining tax revenues. I have discussed President Stroger's sales tax increases with many constituents who tell me that they will no longer shop in Cook County but will make their purchases in nearby Lake County. We can raise revenues from sales and income taxes without raising the rates on these taxes. The best way is to create jobs in Illinois. We must pressure House and Senate leadership to pass a capital construction bill to fund road, mass transit and school construction projects. There is no doubt that hundreds of thousands of jobs can be created if we simply pass a capital construction program. This will lead to substantial increases in revenues from income and sales taxes. Creating jobs will create more income taxes and more income will cause additional consumer spending which will create more sales taxes. We must then change the image of our state from one that is seen as burdening our businesses with new taxes and fees to a state that wants new business to come to Illinois or to expand our businesses that are already here. I don't think we can measure the damage done to our job climate by the Governor's plans to enact both a gross receipts tax and a payroll tax as well as substantial fees on businesses in prior years but we are lagging far behind other states in job creation so we can't just blame it on the economy. Our unemployment rate is far above the national average.

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 have previously and consistently voted against the expansion of gambling in Illinois. However I have been a supporter of the Arlington Race Track which is adjacent to my district. The track has provided substantial economic benefits to our area. The issue of placing slot machines at the race tracks should be decided by local control. I would not vote to deny the race tracks the ability to add slot machines as long as local control is not pre-empted. Local villages and cities are in a better position to determine for themselves what impact slot machines would have on their communities. They need to weigh the additional services needed such as police protection against the potential revenues. The state legislature should not force gambling on communities but allow them to decide what is best. Additional casinos in our region whether in Chicago or elsewhere, would have a negative and harmful financial impact on the race tracks. Rather than granting additional casino licenses I would be supportive of allowing additional positions at our current casinos which should be sold at auction and would bring in revenues to our state.

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

While there are many important issues that the legislature is facing today it is unfortunate that the actions of our Governor and President of the Cook County Board have placed another issue on the table. Recall. I am a proponent of amending the Illinois state constitution to allow citizens the right to recall their elected officials. History has shown that those states that currently have recall provisions use it sparingly in extreme cases of abuse. Illinois citizens should also have that right of recall. I support this proposal not only because of our current elected officials but to have a mechanism in place for future elected officials who abuse their power while in office. I am a co-sponsor of HJRCA 28. I voted yes and it passed the House on a vote of 75-3 with 3 voting present. It was assigned to the Senate Executive committee and it is still being held in that committee by Senate Democratic leadership to this day. It is too late to act on this amendment for the upcoming November election, but I am hopeful that bringing pressure on Senate Democratic leadership will force them to call this bill for a vote so that it can be placed on the ballot in the next election.

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?

This past year it was necessary to provide additional funds and enact reforms to enable our region's mass transit system, overseen by the RTA, to run more efficiently. I supported those efforts. Since then the price of gasoline has soared and significantly more people are riding the mass transit system. I made the right choice to support the amendments to the RTA Act. If the bill would have failed, we would have seen substantial cuts in service leading to either more cars on the road or residents not being able to get to work

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

During my ten years in the state legislature, I have worked closely with House Republican Leader Tom Cross both in his current position and as an assistant leader under former representative Lee Daniels. Based on my observations and experiences, I would without reservation vote for Leader Tom Cross to be the next Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives. Tom listens to the members of his caucus and understands that open debate is healthy. He always supports my decisions even if they differ from his. He has tried on numerous occasions to bring together the Governor and the leaders of the other caucuses and has acted as a go-between. In an atmosphere of distrust and acrimony in Springfield, Tom is a shining light who has placed himself above the fracas.

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

While our Governor has no one to blame but himself for creating an atmosphere throughout the State of Illinois where several members of the legislature have found it necessary to openly advocate for the commencement of impeachment proceedings, I do not believe that the time is ripe for such proceedings. I am just as frustrated as my fellow legislators and the public at large at the actions of our Governor. Many believe that he has violated criminal statutes but prosecutors should investigate and make that determination. Others feel that his actions in attempting to usurp the powers of the General Assembly and to continually call us into multiple special sessions are grounds for impeachment. The Illinois Constitution allows a majority of the Illinois House to bring impeachment proceedings but requires a 2/3 vote in the Illinois Senate to vote for conviction. I can not imagine the Senate Democratic leadership allowing this to happen in light of their constant support for the Governor's actions. Instead we would have a long and drawn out proceeding that would paralyze the legislature from doing any meaningful business. I believe that the citizens of our state should have the ability to decide whether or not our Governor should remain in office. That is why I support the efforts to amend our state constitution to add a recall provision.