56th District rivals address ethics of campaign finance

While both candidates for the 56th District state House seat favor further caps on campaign donations, one significant difference divides them.

Democrat Michelle Mussman and Republican Ryan Higgins agree that more caps are needed on the amounts candidates can receive from organizations, political action committees, businesses and individuals. But only Higgins believe such caps are also appropriate on the amount a candidate can receive directly from his or her own party.

Mussman believes political parties should retain the right to decide how to divide their campaign money among candidates. But caps on direct contributions from outside sources are a way to guard against a legislative candidate being unduly influenced, she said.

Higgins argues that not extending these restrictions to the political parties themselves is what's causing the unlevel playing field in Illinois politics right now. He pointed out that Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is a legislative and party leader simultaneously.

But Mussman also harbored criticism of Madigan's position, using it as the basis of her belief in term limits.

"Elected leaders become entrenched and do lose touch with the people they're representing," Mussman said.

She said that the absence of term limits is a disservice to the democratic process. She believes that after some time out of office, a truly dedicated public servant should be allowed to run for a seat again.

Higgins also believes in term limits, and for the same reasons. But he said that while it's easy for Mussman to try to share in Republican criticisms of Madigan, there was a limit to how independent she could be while still receiving campaign funds herself from the Democratic Party leader.

Higgins said most Illinois voters don't see Madigan as having their own interests at heart.

And Higgins believes getting to grips with the ethics of campaign financing is the basis of changing the poor ethical reputation of Illinois politics.

"I think this is the root of corruption in Illinois," Higgins said.

Mussman, however, suggested there are further ways of battling political corruption in the state, including enacting and enforcing stricter penalties.

"I think we should look at mandatory jail time for government employees who violate the law," Mussman said.

Both Schaumburg-based candidates support giving voters the right to recall their governor and believe it should ultimately be extended to all state offices.

But Higgins and Mussman do disagree on how legislative redistricting, done once each decade based on census results, should be handled. The process has been criticized for being too political, with a lottery determining which party has more control over the outcome each time.

Mussman said redistricting is a necessary step to insuring that particular populations, including minority groups, receive fair representation in Springfield.

Higgins said the basic purpose of redistricting is to insure districts have generally equal populations and the redrawing of lines should be handled more objectively.

"We have to take it out of the hands of the General Assembly," said Higgins, who favors the appointment of an independent task force to address redistricting, perhaps employing a computer algorithm program like Iowa is moving toward that would redraw boundaries dispassionately along natural geographic divides like rivers.

The 56th District includes Schaumburg and portions of Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, Hanover Park, Roselle and Bloomingdale.