Mel Thillens: Candidate Profile

Back to 28th State Senate District

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: Des PlainesWebsite: www.votethillens.comTwitter: Candidate did not respond.Facebook: Candidate did not respond.Office sought: 28th State Senate District Age: 44Family: I am married to Stephanie and have four sons, Max, Nathan, Sammy and Teddy.Occupation: Thillens, Inc. Vice-President of Sales and OperationsEducation: Maine South High School 1989Oakton Community College, A.A. 1992 Columbia College Chicago, B.A, 1995Civic involvement: Park Ridge Park District Board of Commissioners, Illinois Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, National Federation of Independent Business - Illinois Steering Committee, Chairman of the Taste of Park Ridge, Park Ridge Holiday Lights Coalition, Indian Scouts Tribal Chief, youth football coachElected offices held: Park Ridge Park Board of Commissioners 2011-present; President 2013-2014Questions Answers What needs to be done structurally to make the legislature more effective? Will you vote for your current legislative leader? What is your position on term limits in general and specifically for legislative leaders? Do you support the ongoing drive for a constitutional amendment on redistricting? What will you do to promote implementation of any changes you recommend?There are a few things that need to be done to make the state legislature more effective. First, we must enact term limits on legislators. This includes all state legislators as well as legislative leadership. Term limits only for leadership positions is not enough. For example, if term limited in their leadership positions, Mike Madigan and John Cullerton would still wield significant power over the rest of the Illinois General Assembly once they were out of leadership positions. I recently pledged to serve a maximum of 10 years in office. Secondly, Illinois needs fair maps. The ruling against the Independent Map amendment by the Illinois Supreme Court was a loss for the voters in Illinois. The current mapmaking system leaves most legislative districts around the state without competitive elections. Voters deserve to have choices about their elected officials, but few do because the legislative districts are drawn in a way that discourages competition and protects the status quo of entrenched politicians in Springfield. The way to promote the implementation of these policies is to send legislators to Springfield who believe in reform. Politicians in both parties have benefitted from maintaining the status quo and protecting their power. As a state senator, I will stand up to both political parties in demanding reforms to make our state legislature more effective.Would you vote for an increase in state income taxes or sales taxes? Would you vote for new taxes, such as on services? What is your position on a graduated income tax?Illinois has a spending problem, not a revenue problem. I don't believe politicians in Springfield should ask for more money from families until we change the way state government operates. We can't keep throwing money at a failed system and expect to get different results. I would vote "no" on any tax increase or new tax until we enact common sense reforms to fix state government.The tax-and-spend policies of Mike Madigan, John Cullerton, and my opponent don't fix the problems that need fixing or help people that need it. As an example, in 2011, politicians in Springfield raised the income tax by 67%. Despite the tax increase, Illinois still has many of the same problems. We still have enormous amounts of unpaid bills, the worst-funded pension system in the country, and struggling schools. As a further example, despite the record taxes, Illinois still ranks 47th out of 50 in providing services to the developmentally disabled. But the career politicians in Springfield managed to find money for their pet projects in their districts. It's more than the fact that taxes are too high. The taxes don't go to pay the things politicians promised that they would. As a state senator, I will fight for our families and ensure our tax dollars go where they are supposed to go. Springfield needs independent leaders like myself who are willing to fight the status quo of politicians that always advocate higher taxes and more spending.What changes, if any, do you support in education and education funding in Illinois? Please be specific.We need to adequately fund our schools. The current school funding formula in Illinois is out of date. I would like to see it changed to make sure every student in Illinois gets a world-class education. Our school funding system relies overwhelmingly on property taxes, and the General State Aid formula is not the best way forward. We should look at reforming the school funding formula but not at the expense of schools that are doing well. We can't take money from some school districts and redistribute it to others. The Democrats in the Illinois State Senate have proposed legislation to take tens of millions of dollars from our local schools. I would not support such legislation under any circumstances.On Illinois' budget, specifically, where do you believe cuts need to be made?We need to prioritize our spending and cut out wasteful spending. Politicians in Springfield have often prioritized spending on pet projects over the things we really need. Many years of reckless spending by both parties has left Illinois in dire straits. We also need to reform our pension system. This is a necessary starting point if we are ever going to be able to properly fund education, the elderly, and the developmentally disabled. We must also look for saving in our state procurement system.Many of our problems in Illinois stem from our lagging economy. It used to be said 'if you can't find a job in the Chicago area, you can't find a job anywhere'. But last year, Illinois lost 100,000 residents. We need to grow our economy to solve our problems. Workers compensation reform and tort reform are both important steps to help reduce the costs of doing business in Illinois. Between the red tape and terrible reputation, no one wants to do business with the state of Illinois. This drives the costs up on everything from construction to toilet paper.What approach do you support toward fixing the public pension systems?To fix the public pension systems in Illinois, I support a proposal to move government employees away from defined benefits to a 401(k) style program. This is necessary to get Illinois' finances back on track and allow us to adequately fund education and the most vulnerable in our state. Right now, the state of Illinois has more than $111 billion in unfunded pension liabilities. With that said, we must keep our promises to retired and existing state employees and pay their pensions. To show my commitment to pension reform, I will refuse a pension as a state senator.What other issues, if any, are important to you as a candidate for this office?We need to improve the business climate in Illinois. As an employer of 130 people, I understand what it means to balance a budget and have families relying on me to make sound financial decisions. Right now, new businesses and businesses looking to expand don't look to Illinois. Often, these business look to our neighboring states instead. Workers compensation reform, tort reform, and a property tax freeze are all initiatives I would support. A property tax freeze must be accompanied by rolling back mandates on local units of government that drive up their costs.Please name one current leader who most inspires you.Joe Maddon, head coach of the Cubs. His ability to bring talented people together and to work at their best is inspiring.What is the biggest lesson you learned at home growing up?Be honest. My family runs an armored car cash delivery company which can bring out the best and worst in people. The best are honest.If life gave you one do-over, what would you spend it on?My education. It took me too long in life to learn how important it is to spend time on school work.What was your favorite subject in school and how did it help you in later life?Math. I always enjoyed problem solving. That practice helps me today at work as it will in the state senate.If you could give your children only one piece of advice, what would it be?Keep moving forward. No matter the setbacks or obstacles in your way, keep moving forward.