Madigan's tenure at center of 84th House District race

The race for the 84th state House District is shaping up between a Democratic incumbent who claims to be independent from House Speaker Michael Madigan and her Republican challenger who says one of his primary goals is to get Madigan out of office.

Stephanie Kifowit, a Democrat from Aurora, is seeking a third term and is being challenged by small business owner Mike Strick, a Republican from Naperville.

Strick says Madigan's 31 years as House Speaker is "what's wrong with Illinois" and the only way to oust him is to also oust his candidates, including Kifowit.

"What we call Mrs. Kifowit is one of those protected Democrats. She's in a district that Rauner won 51 to 49 percent so she most definitely aligns everything with Mike Madigan," Strick said during a recent Daily Herald editorial board session.

"When (Madigan) says 'Hey Stephanie, you can vote against us on this bill,' she'll more than happily do that," Strick said. "But when all the chips are on the table and there's a bill that needs to be overridden, she will be with Mike Madigan all the time."

Kifowit, however, accuses Strick of "political posturing" and says she hasn't been afraid to vote for what's best for the district, even if her vote goes against Madigan.

"The clear examples of that is my vote against the $7 billion budget, which was out of budget by a significant amount. It was a budget that the speaker wanted to pass very feverishly, but I was one of the seven dissenting Democrats against him because we need a fair, responsible, balanced budget," Kifowit said.

"I've been independent the whole time. I don't take a pension," she said. "I don't have any lobbyist expenditures and the fact of the matter is, in life you have to work with people to get results."

Strick has also pledged, should he be elected, to serve no more than two terms and he thinks others should follow suit. Kifowit said she'd consider a term-limits bill if one ever came for a vote.

"Definitely, I will consider it when a bill is filed," Kifowit said. "There is some merit to having a turnover. I'm not saying there isn't. But the reality today is that I, as a legislator, have to represent my district to the best of my ability, within the confines of what I am. And that is where I'm at."

Strick, while not dedicated to a specific term-limits plan, said it's the best way to get "the state back on track."

"I really believe that term limits should be enforced on a broad scale because when you have so many people in power for such a long time, there is more of a chance for corruption," he said. "And corruption is one of the roots of the problem in Illinois and Mike Madigan is a master of staying in power and Kifowit is a person who votes every way she can with Mike Madigan."

Kifowit then challenged Strick to name a controversial bill so she could justify her vote.

"Most bills in the House are bipartisan and there's only a handful of those that have been contentious," Kifowit said. "I can justify my vote for those bills if he wishes to name a bill, which he doesn't because he's just politically posturing."

The 84th House District includes large portions of Naperville, Aurora, Oswego, Montgomery and a portion of Boulder Hill.