Daniel Brinkman: Candidate Profile

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Note: Answers provided have not been edited for grammar, misspellings or typos. In some instances, candidate claims that could not be immediately verified have been omitted. Jump to:BioQA Bio City: Carol StreamWebsite: www.brinkmanforil.comOffice sought: 45th District Representative Age: 26Family: Candidate did not respond.Occupation: Worked for IL House of Reps for 7 years as District Director and Legislative AssistantEducation: BA in History and Political Science Loyola University Chicago, 2009Expected Juris Doctorate (J.D.) from John Marshall Law School in 2014 (night division)Glenbard North High School, 2005Civic involvement: * Lector and Usher at Trinity Lutheran Church, Roselle, IL 1998- Present* Spearheaded a Coat Drive through Rep Ramey's Office that was known Statewide for its success (12,500 coats in 6 years)* Organized health fair in District that grew to 150 free vendors* Federalist Society, John Marshall Law School Chapter President 2011-2013* Executive Committee Wayne Township Republican Organization 2012- presentElected offices held: NoneHave you ever been arrested for or convicted of a crime? If yes, please explain: NoQuestions Answers Why are you running for this office? Is there a particular issue that motivates you, and if so, what is that?Illinois is a wonderful state, and I don't want my children and grandchildren to have to pay for the mistakes and fiscal irresponsibility of the last decade. If we don't have the courage to act now, it will be too late.The state's finances are in shambles, we have the lowest bond rating in the country businesses are leaving the state in droves as are our citizens. And our property taxes are the second highest in the country.What differentiates you most from your opponents in the race?While I think our district would be served well by any of the other Republicans, I have had the opportunity to work in state government for several years. I've seen the waste and inefficiencies first hand. If elected, I can hit the ground running in Springfield. I have also recruited candidates at the local level that have acted as watchdogs over our property taxes.Would you vote to make Illinois' temporary income tax hike permanent before it expires in January 2015? If not, how will you replace the billions of dollars the tax hike brought in, or what cuts would you make?No, absolutely not. First, we need to make Illinois Job friendly again and the revenue will follow. We can start by rolling back regulations choking business growth. We are surrounded by states lowering tax rates. In 2013 alone, Indiana, Wisconsin and Iowa all lowered taxes and all will continue to be rewarded by job growth and added revenue. Further we need to implement a forensic audit of state government targeting waste, fraud, and abuse.Please outline your views on public pensions in Illinois.I support fellow Republican Mike Fortner's pension plan. It pays off 100% of the unfunded liability by 2045 within the framework of the state constitution and prevents any passing of the buck that would translate into higher property taxes.What changes would you make to the state's new concealed carry law, if any? Would you change the number of exempted places where people cannot carry? In what way? Would you change the training requirements? In what way? Do you support restricting assault weapons? High-capacity magazines?It is nice to see we have finally joined the rest of the country on concealed carry. However, we should be wary that the classes and training required are not made prohibitively expensive.Which of the following do you support: New casinos, slot machines at horse racing tracks, gambling on the Internet? Would you approve legislation that includes all of the above in order to compromise and get the parts that you want?Candidate did not respond.On what issues would you would break with your party, or have you broken with your party, and why?I believe we need to set forth our own agenda and our own budget instead of merely blaming the democrat majority at every turn. Doing so will invite criticism, but it will also show the people of this state that we are ready to lead and are serious about making tough decisions.What is your position on limiting how much money party leaders can give candidates during a general election?This campaign reform law passed a couple years ago served to make the four legislative leaders stronger at the expense of the rank and file members as members become heavily indebted to their caucus leadership for support. Either the caps should be dispensed with altogether or they should be applied in some measure to leadership as well.If elected, do you plan to vote for the current leader of your caucus? Why or why not?Leader Durkin deserves a chance to succeed, he has been dealt a difficult hand. The House Republicans stand at an incredibly low ebb, holding the smallest percentage of seats since the 1930s. Additionally the coffers of HRO which he inherited were barer than those of most rank and file members. However, too much is at stake to continue to lay blame for our ill-fortune on the remap as we have in the past. We need to start winning back the house and we can!What is your view of the tax breaks granted to companies like Motorola Mobility, Navistar and Sears, and should state tax breaks be given to companies moving from one Illinois municipality to another?The state shouldn't be in the business of picking favorites to keep companies in Illinois. These examples of crony capitalism serve to show the massive disservice that has been done to small business owners across this state as tens of thousands have already left for greener pastures and lower tax rates. We need tax rates that are fair to businesses both big and small.Do you favor changing how Illinois sets new legislative district maps every 10 years? If so how?Yes absolutely! Four years ago I carried petitions for the League of Women Voter's push for a fair map. I strongly support the adoption of a constitutional amendment to make this a reality. Just to our west, Iowa uses an apolitical process to create legislative boundaries. Districts are more competitive and people are better served by more responsive legislators as a result.Finally, is there anything we haven't asked about that you feel we should know?Candidate did not respond.