Marty Moylan: Candidate profile
Bio:
Name: Marty Moylan
City: Des Plaines
Website:
Twitter:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/martymoylan/
Office sought: State representative
Age: 67
Family: Married with one adult son.
Occupation: State representative
Education: Attended University of Illinois
Civic involvement: Former Mayor and Alderman in Des Plaines. Current state Representative
Elected offices held: Mayor, Des Plaines, 2009-2012
Alderman, Des Plaines, 2007-2009
State Rep, 55th District January 2013 - Present
Questions & Answers
Would you vote to approve a graduated income tax? If so, what qualifiers would you impose and where would you set the brackets? What would the top tax rate be?
My priority is cutting taxes on the middle class, and I will oppose higher taxes on middle-class, middle-income families.
Since I took office, I have not and will not support increasing taxes on hardworking middle class families in Illinois. I see it every day, from parents struggling to provide for their families to seniors living on fixed incomes who are being taxed out of house and home, the squeeze on middle class families is real.
These families simply do not have more money to hand over to the government. At the same time, we do not have to place the burden of cuts on our education system, women and senior health programs, and our veterans in order to close fiscal gaps. I cannot stand idly by while corporate big-wigs get bailouts and tax breaks and force the gap between them and the middle class to grow wider and wider.
There are a lot of details that need to be worked out and I have made it clear to the people of our district that I would support a plan that cuts taxes on the middle class. I think anyone who is serious about cutting taxes for the middle class, providing property tax relief, and investing in our communities needs to come to the table to work out the details instead of making shortsighted proclamations to score political points.
How big a problem is the level of property taxation in Illinois? If you view it as a problem, what should be done about it?
When I walk door-to-door in my community, property taxes are the most cited issue that people bring up.
That's why I supported Senate Bill 484 and House Bill 156, which cut property taxes for middle-class families, seniors and veterans by expanding exemptions.
I also voted 15 time to cut or freeze property taxes in the 99th GA.
Additional property tax came through the recent budget, which provides $50 million is specifically dedicated for property tax relief.
What is your evaluation of Gov. Rauner's job performance? Please specify what you view as its highs and lows.
The governor said it all when he commented "I'm not in charge." I can tell you first hand that's the mentality of a real leader. We need leaders who will take responsibility and make the tough choices to provide property tax relief, enact commonsense gun safety legislation and protect women's health. That's why I'm running.
What is your evaluation of Speaker Michael Madigan's (President John Cullerton's) job performance? If you voted for him for speaker (president) in the last legislative session, please explain your vote.
I work for my constituents. Period. Not anyone else. That's why I voted against the middle class tax increase and voted to cut lawmaker's pay.
When I cast my votes in Springfield I do it with only one motivation: to best represent the people I work for.
Should there be term limits for legislative leaders? If so, what would you do to make that happen? What other systemic changes should be made to strengthen the voice of individual legislators, limit the control of legislative leaders, encourage bipartisanship?
I support term limits for legislators. It's important for me to know the specifics for any proposal. I believe that if we are to place term limits on legislators, we must be consistent and do the same for constitutional offices.
It's time we took the redistricting process out of the hands of politicians and handed the job over to an independent commission. In Springfield, I supported House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 58 which would have created an independent commission tasked with redrawing our legislative districts.
The best way to garner support for these changes is to be open and transparent with those involved. If we can bring stakeholders to the table and discuss common-sense changes and come to compromises, we can move our state forward.
How concerned should we be about Illinois' population loss? What needs to be done to reverse the trend?
I am proud to call Illinois my home, which is why I am fighting so hard to make it a better place to live.
That's why I voted to:
• Cut property taxes relief for middle-class homeowners, seniors and veterans.
• Vote against the Springfield tax increase on middle class families.
- Crack down on corporations that take our tax dollars and then ship jobs out of state or overseas.
- Institute stronger gun safety laws.
Please provide one example that demonstrates your independence from your party.
• I opposed Springfield's income tax hike on middle class families (Senate Bill 9).
• I opposed softer penalties on criminals including voting no on House Bill 4594 (which would have reduced penalties on DUI offenders) and House Bill 244 (which would reduce penalties for selling drugs on school grounds).
What other issues are important to you as a candidate for this office?
My top priorities are crafting a responsible budget, protecting our families, and fighting for safety in our schools and neighborhoods. I am refusing to balance the budget solely through deep cuts to critical programs. I am fighting to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill and potential terrorists, and trying to make our schools safer.
I am also fighting against Trump's attacks on women's access to health care by protecting a woman's right to choose regardless of Trump and his judges do, and reverse the governor's extreme cuts to lifesaving breast cancer screenings.
In addition, here a few questions meant to provide more personal insight into you as a person:
What's the hardest decision you ever had to make?
In my job I have to make hard decisions every day. The role of a state representative is to be the best possible voice for the people you represent. Every day I have to make the best decisions I can with the information I have available. This is what it means to be a leader and strong independent voice for constituents.
Who is your hero?
My mother worked hard and made incredible sacrifices to provide me and my family with opportunities, but today families are working harder than ever and finding that their hard work doesn't get them as far as it used to. That's why I'm fighting to cut taxes on the middle class, cut property taxes, and create new economic opportunities.
Each amendment in the Bill of Rights is important, but which one of those 10 is most precious to you?
The first amendment has never been more important. A strong country needs freedom of speech, assembly and association. Our President forgets that too often.
What lesson of youth has been most important to you as an adult?
At a young age, I lost my father and I learned very quickly how to develop into a leader and organizer as I helped my mom and other siblings raise and look after my younger siblings. I quickly learned the importance of being fiscally responsible. This experience taught me what working families face on a daily basis and gave me the skills necessary to lead on issues like workers rights and fiscal responsibility.
Think back to a time you failed at something. What did you learn from it?
As a young electrician, I realized that I was not as experienced or knowledgeable as the older guys as many of them had been around for a long time and knew the trade better than I did. I realized I could learn from them and asked a lot of questions so I could better myself. In this experience I learned that despite what you think you know, you could always learn more. In politics, I use this mentality to work in a bipartisan manner to learn about the policies I'm voting on in order to be as effective as possible.