Sheri Jesiel: Candidate profile

Bio: Sheri Jesiel

City: Winthrop Harbor

Website: jesielforep.com

Twitter:

Facebook: State Representative Sheri Jesiel - @RepJesiel

Party: Republican

Office sought: State Representative, 61st District

Age:

Family: 2 daughters, one son, 6 grandchildren

Occupation: State Representative/Business Manager

Education: Bachelors in Business Administration and Accounting, CPA

Civic involvement: Celebrating successes of organizations and constituents throughout my district (Back to School events, Community of Character Walk in Zion, Senior luncheons, etc.)

Elected offices held: State Representative, Precinct Committeeman

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?

Absolutely not. I've seen the tax brackets of other states with a graduated tax, and in every single case I looked at, rates are considerably higher on lower and middle-class taxpayers than we currently have in our state. It is sold as a way for everyone to pay their "fair share" but everyone - not just the wealthy - would likely see a tax increase and it would be hard to imagine, with the fiscal challenges we have in this state, that tax rates in Illinois would be any different from others with graduated rates. In addition, the rates would not be locked into statute, meaning anytime our profligate spending outpaces revenue, rates could be changed without Illinois residents' approval. With our current tax burden (combined property, state, local and other taxes), our residents simply cannot bear an open-ended graduated tax scheme.

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?

It certainly is a problem in Illinois, but particularly in my district. I have some communities who top the list of highest property tax rates in the state. This results in a downward spiral that is very difficult to reverse - people choose to move, buyers do not want to invest in these communities, renters move in, property values fall, rates go higher because the EAV falls, more people leave and the cycle continues.

There are two things we should be doing to address the issue - one is how we have funded education in Illinois. Illinois relies disproportionately on local property owners to fund education; we are one of the worst at state-funding of education, meaning most of the cost is borne by property owners. We've taken a step in the right direction with the education funding reform legislation passed in 2017, which will begin to bring school districts closer to "adequacy" by providing more funds to local school districts, who in turn, over time should be freezing or lowering their levies. However, more still needs to be done.

The second is to create a business climate that would encourage businesses to remain here or locate here. There are many measures that would help, the biggest among them being lowering school levies, and reforming workers' compensation rules in the state. There are also measures that would hurt businesses in the form of many unfunded mandates, including a $15 minimum wage - these are policies we need to avoid in order to create a climate for economic growth. At the heart of this is broadening the tax base - the more we grow our EAV (tax base), the more we can share the cost of education and government, and the less we will require from our property owners.

What is your evaluation of Gov. Rauner's job performance? Please specify what you view as its highs and lows.

I think his first term has reflected a collision between ideals and reality of the difficulty of accomplishing anything meaningful in Illinois.

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 could write a book on this one based on what I've seen in my four years of service in the legislature but I'll say this, I have never seen any indication that the Speaker is concerned about the residents of Illinois. He is singularly devoted to obtaining and retaining power in order to make moves in the best interests of preserving power. I could give numerous examples but in general, this can be seen in the treatment of his members who dare to defy him, in the mechanics of moving legislation for political purposes, and in the writing of the rules of the House in a way to keep his power, as just a few broad examples.

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?

Yes, there should be leadership term limits. I would draft or support legislation to that end (which incidentally, has already been done by others, but has never been called for a vote, or even moved out

of the rules committee). Other changes that must be made are the creation of an independent process of drawing the legislative maps, take away the advantages given to leadership to raise campaign funds (leadership has different limits than members), and provide a balanced opportunity for input in the committee process. Legislation is often called (or not called) based on strategic means, not necessarily on the merits of the legislation itself.

How concerned should we be about Illinois' population loss? What needs to be done to reverse the trend?

We should be very concerned about population loss. I do not exaggerate when I say that every single day that I am talking with constituents, I am told at least once that a constituent is leaving, or will be when they retire, or when their children are through the school system. Every. Single. Day. It is sad that people vote with their feet, and in my district, that couldn't be truer given how close we are to the border of Wisconsin.

What should we do? First, demonstrate a commitment to change. Constituents in my district don't see that. Most reforms they want to see have been blocked by maneuvers of those who have a vested interest in the status quo, and residents are extremely frustrated with a lack of progress. We also need to demonstrate that we are committed to tightening our belt by not passing more spending bills until there is revenue to pay for it. In my time in the legislature, I have seen bill after bill passed that would add to the pile of existing bills without any new revenue, which is like a family going on a buying spree with credit cards without any new money to pay the bills. We have to stop the spending! As far as solutions, as mentioned before, we MUST grow our economy by reducing costs to do business here - workers' compensation premiums, property taxes, unfunded mandates on business (see question on job creation for details) all influence a business's (and family's) decision whether they can afford to stay here. Generating economic growth is KEY because it generates more revenue for everyone - businesses, families, individuals, and the government. Increasing taxes to pay for programs does not generate anything - it just moves revenue out of the pockets of families and job-creators and into the pocket of government. That won't help anyone in the long term. Through economic growth, let's put MORE money into the pot, not just move it from one pocket to another. This would provide the funding we need to pay better wages to health care-professionals, or better fund education, or care for the most vulnerable.

Please provide one example that demonstrates your independence from your party.

We see many, many pieces of legislation, so it's a little hard to recall, but there are two I can think of where I was the only member of my party to support a bill in committee, and/or one of only a few in my party to support on the floor - one was a bill (HB5599) that would put in statute a child-care income threshold so families and providers who rely on care to work or attend school wouldn't have to scramble just because someone decided to change the rules. The other was a bill (HB2617) that would provide coverage to women (or men) who are undergoing chemotherapy to preserve their fertility.

What other issues are important to you as a candidate for this office?

Education funding is very important (I was recently named the minority Spokesperson on the Education K-12 Appropriations committee), as are social services issues. I serve on the Human Services Committee and Human Services Appropriations Committee and hear so many touching and dramatic stories of people with needs. Of the many, many concerns we have for those who have needs, we all have our unique interests - mine are women who are victims of abuse, human trafficking which is a huge underreported problem in our communities, and children with special needs, as one of my grandsons has significant medical issues and I've learned what kind of challenges a family faces under these circumstances.

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?

Like everyone, I've had to make lots of hard decisions - hard to narrow it down to one.

Who is your hero?

I don't really do "heroes" but there are many who have earned my admiration and respect and could be considered a hero … Personally, my parents who have celebrated 61 years of marriage and are still devoted to one another. This is so rare anymore. From a historical perspective, Martin Luther King. To lead a movement and stand in the face of so many challenges all while advocating nonviolence, and then to have it culminate in the expansion of rights to so many whose rights were denied for so long is incredible to me. Another is Wilbur Wilberforce, who for almost 30 years worked to eliminate the slave trade in England in the face of tremendous opposition. These are the kinds of people who I would in general call heroes who fight for justice in the face of tremendous odds.

Each amendment in the Bill of Rights is important, but which one of those 10 is most precious to you?

The first which is fundamental to freedom on which our country was founded.

What lesson of youth has been most important to you as an adult?

I took piano lessons for 10 years and "graduated" from a local music school. One of the most essential lessons was that perseverance, self-discipline and hard work - doing things even when you don't feel like it - are the foundation for success.

Think back to a time you failed at something. What did you learn from it?

What I've learned is that failure is not a reflection of my value and self-worth. It happens and it is a building block to resilience - getting up when everything in you wants to stay curled up in a ball. And it makes future successes that much sweeter.