Karina Villa: 2026 candidate for Illinois Comptroller
Bio
Office sought: Illinois Comptroller
City: West Chicago
Age: 48
Occupation: Illinois State Senator
Previous offices held: State Senator of the 25th Senate District 2021-present State Representative of the 49th House District 2019-2021 School Board Member for West Chicago School District 33 2013-2018
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?
While significant progress has been made in reducing the payment backlog, threats to federal funding and our inequitable tax system leave payments vulnerable. I’ve combed through budget after budget, and the pattern is clear: we do not generate enough sustainable revenue to fully fund essential services. If federal funds fall, I will publish a live backlog dashboard, disclose payment rules in advance, and prioritize life-and-dignity services, workers, schools, and local governments. Long-term planning means better forecasting, honest reporting, and rejecting the idea that working families should always pay first while billionaires and corporations skate by. I’ve helped secure millions in non-regressive revenue for our state, but it’s not enough to replace federal cuts. I will use the bully pulpit of the office to build statewide support for progressive revenue so billionaires and corporations finally pay their fair share.
Many people in Illinois are not familiar with the comptroller's duties. What should be done to increase awareness?
Too often, the Comptroller’s office has been treated like a quiet bookkeeper, but in moments of crisis, we need leaders who will use every lever available to protect Illinoisans’ tax dollars. I don’t want to just maintain the status quo — I want to make this office visible, relevant, and accountable to working people across the state. Illinois has the 8th most regressive tax structure in the country, and we face serious threats of federal funding cuts that could shift even more costs onto our state. The Comptroller cannot simply cut checks and hope for the best. This office sees fiscal pressures in real time and must help lead solutions. As Comptroller, I will travel the state, publish clear and accessible financial information, and use the bully pulpit to highlight revenue options that are not on the backs of working families. From small businesses to local governments, Illinoisans deserve an office that works not just for them, but with them. I will partner with local governments to strengthen fiscal oversight and leverage the power of state procurement to drive job growth and invest in Illinois communities.
Transparency has been a focus in recent years. What would you do to continue or expand that?
I will continue building on the foundation of the Debt Transparency Act and the transparency gains already achieved. Where I will take a different approach is in defining the next chapter: using the Comptroller’s leverage aggressively, not passively. I refuse to treat this office like a bookkeeper when communities are under attack. I will strengthen cash-flow management with radical transparency: a live backlog dashboard by category, payment rules published in advance, and clear, values-based prioritization that protects life-and-dignity services, workers, and the backbone of our communities. I will also issue plain-language “budget truth” reports detailing what is being cut, who is shortchanged, and what Illinois could fund if revenues were fair. Transparency must be paired with honest fiscal reporting. I will clearly name where costs are being shifted onto Illinois and where services are threatened, so the public and lawmakers can respond with clear eyes. The Comptroller sees where money comes from, when it goes out, and who waits. I will put that view in the public’s hands in real time.
There have been moves to consolidate the offices of the treasurer and comptroller, what is your opinion on that idea?
Illinois needs stronger fiscal oversight, not less. The Comptroller and Treasurer have different responsibilities, and keeping them separate creates important checks and balances over how public money is tracked, invested, and paid out. In a time of federal instability and fiscal stress, combining them could reduce transparency and concentrate too much power in one office. The better path is coordination, modernization, and accountability: improve systems, speed payments, strengthen reporting, and make both offices more transparent to the public. Illinois needs a Comptroller who will use the office not just as a checkbook, but as a people’s watchdog with real transparency and ethical standards for public dollars.