Endorsement: Harris for re-election in Illinois House District 53

Curt Renz is a refreshing independent Democrat critical of longtime Democratic Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. He says he is running for state representative to give voters a choice. Unfortunately, for him, he’s running against a very strong Republican candidate in incumbent David Harris for the Illinois House District 53 seat. Harris, who returned to the Illinois House two years ago after an 18-year absence, is endorsed. A legislator from 1983 to 1992, Harris’s seniority when elected again in 2010 led to his role as Republican spokesman on the House Revenue and Finance Committee. In that role, he says he worked across the aisle in making sure that for the last two years, at least, Illinois did not spend more money than it brought in. Given the state’s shaky financial history, that’s a step in the right direction. Harris is very knowledgeable and pragmatic on what needs to be done to get Illinois out of its financial mess. For example, he supports shifting financial responsibility for school pensions to local school boards as long as those boards can set the rules and it is phased in over 12 to 15 years. Renz, of Arlington Heights, is more in line with our views on social issues, but he does not have the expertise Harris has in fiscal matters. District 53 takes in parts of Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Mount Prospect and Prospect Heights.