Endorsement: Mendoza for a second term as state comptroller

The state comptroller may have the most thankless job in Illinois - prioritizing payment of bills there is not nearly enough money to cover. Since her election to the post in 2014, Democrat Susana Mendoza, of Chicago, has embraced the responsibility with creativity and fervor that can only be described as impressive. She has consistently cut her office's budget and put in place numerous cost-savings practices. She has worked with the treasurer to produce a system of month-to-month fund sharing that results in saving the state millions in repayments on state debt. She has led major, meaningful taxpayer-oriented measures that save money, improve government accountability and promote transparency - and done so with unequivocally bipartisan cooperation. Her Republican challenger, Darlene Senger of Naperville, brings adequate credentials as a former state representative and deputy chief of staff for Gov. Bruce Rauner, but Mendoza's record of success sets a high bar few candidates could reach. A move is under way to steer her into a run for Chicago mayor, but she insists convincingly that her focus remains on keeping the job she has and setting it up for more improvements in the future. We hope she gets the opportunity.