Tom Cross: 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: OswegoWebsite: JoinTomCross.comOffice sought: Treasurer Age: 56Family: My wife Genie and I have been married for 31 years and we live in Oswego. Our daughter Reynolds is a senior at North Central College in Naperville and our son, Hudson, is just starting his freshman year at Indiana University. Genie teaches Math at Minooka Junior High School.Occupation: State RepresentativeEducation: Illinois Wesleyan University Cumberland School of LawCivic involvement: Board of directors of the Illinois Chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.Elected offices held: State Representative Republican Leader of the Illinois House of RepresentativesQuestions Answers How would you streamline your office's duties to save the state money?With Illinois' constant budget struggles, we all must strive to make government more efficient and effective. As Treasurer I would create a transition team to review the office and the most recent audits of the Treasurer's Office by the Auditor General Holland. Based on this review, our transition team will analyze and prepare an efficiency memo identifying areas where we can improve effectiveness. In addition, I will review the marketing budgets for the office in total, but specifically looking at Bright Start and I-Cash to see if they are producing an efficient return-on-investment.What is something the office could be doing now that it isn't?The Treasurer needs to be play a greater role in the budget process to ensure that future budgets use honest projections for revenue and expenditures and if necessary take the legislature to court to force a balanced budget as required by the Illinois Constitution. Within the Office of Treasurer I would create a Government Integrity Unit that will be comprised of financial experts, former prosecutors, and law enforcement personnel that will review state financial transactions for fraud and also review the public pension systems to look for abuses.What in your background makes you qualified for a specialized office like this?The fiscal wellbeing of Illinois is threatened by the mismanagement of state government. For years the Illinois General Assembly and Governor have over-spent, over-borrowed and over-taxed, now the citizens of the state are paying the price through higher taxes and less government services. As Treasurer I will work with the Governor and General Assembly to ensure that they balance the state's budget and if they are not willing to do so I will enforce the Constitution.Should your office be combined with the comptroller's?The combination of the two offices is long overdue. In 2003, I introduced an amendment to the Constitution that would have combined the offices, but unfortunately the Speaker of the House has had no interest in the proposal. If elected, I will work with the Comptroller's Office to develop a feasibility study showing why the consolidation can be done and how it could be accomplished. I would present the study to each member of the legislature and discuss with them the rationale for consolidation. Hopefully, this will prove to the General Assembly that the consolidation is a worthwhile amendment.What would you change about how the state invests its money?In the Illinois Constitution, the Treasurer is charged with the safekeeping and investment of the state's assets deposited with the office. As Treasurer, I will work to achieve the highest rate of return possible and limit risk while staying within the investment framework provided. The higher returns the Treasurer's Office achieves would result in more money for education and essential services. In the instances where the General Assembly or U.S. State Department takes strong action to condemn a foreign country and certain investments, I would consider honoring that policy directive in conjunction with investments in the state portfolio.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?The Treasurer's Office runs Bright Start which is a great tool to help parents save for their child's college education. Currently, the program is thriving and delivering solid returns, while attracting more participants. As Treasurer, my goal would be to improve the program and make it an even better option for families to start saving for higher education. My office will hold a competitive bidding for the next Bright Start contract in 2017 and also be vigilant about the practices of other college savings programs throughout the country to make sure Illinois is following the best practices in the industry.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Candidate did not respond.What's the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Candidate did not respond.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?Candidate did not respond.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Candidate did not respond.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Candidate did not respond.