Endorsement: Minor for GOP in state House Dist. 42
EDITOR'S NOTE: On Feb. 28, the Daily Herald rescinded its endorsement in the race for the Republican nomination for state representative in Illinois House District 42. For an explanation of our decision, see Rescinding our support for Minor candidacy.
Republican voters in the 42nd Illinois House District have a choice among three candidates to replace Rep. Jeanne Ives, who is seeking the GOP nomination for governor.
Since this is Ives' district, all lay claim to some conservative points of view. However, the most conservative, though not as fiery or polarizing a candidate perhaps as Ives, is DuPage County Board member Amy Grant. 62, of Wheaton. She hues very much to the Ives point of view on social and fiscal issues. She points to her tenure on the county board as proof she can step in and do the job from Day One. A vote she is proud of is when she voted against a pay raise for board members and to get rid of stipends for elected officials.
A newcomer to DuPage County politics, 29-year-old Ryan Byrne of Wheaton nonetheless also is a conservative candidate in many respects. He believes business owners should have the right to deny service to those they disagree with on religious grounds. But in a departure from a traditional Republican viewpoint, he is strongly in favor of legalizing marijuana in Illinois as a way to boost revenue.
Finally, a somewhat more moderate and pragmatic candidate can be found in Burt Minor, 58, a one-time Warrenville village trustee who is the Winfield Township Republican chairman and committeeman. He understands that government and religion sometimes do not mix and he sees the gray in many issues facing the state as opposed to holding a strict partisan view. We need more legislators like that and for that reason, we recommend Burt Minor in the March 20 GOP primary for District 42, which takes in parts of Wheaton, Warrenville, Carol Stream, Lisle, Winfield, West Chicago and Naperville.