House candidates Miller Walsh, Edly-Allen disagree on term limits
Republican state Rep. Helene Miller Walsh and opponent Mary Edly-Allen differ on whether term limits should be pursued for Illinois' legislative leaders.
Edly-Allen, a teacher from Libertyville, is facing Miller Walsh in the Nov. 6 election for the seat representing House District 51. The district includes all or portions of the Barrington area, Lake Zurich, Long Grove, Libertyville and Mundelein.
Miller Walsh, a Mundelein-area resident, was appointed in August to replace Republican state Rep. Nick Sauer of Lake Barrington, who resigned amid accusations he posted naked photographs of an ex-girlfriend over social media without her knowledge. Sauer's term expires in January.
One issue the candidates addressed in a Daily Herald questionnaire is the idea of term limits for the House and Senate leaders. For example, Democratic state Rep. Michael Madigan has been House speaker all but two years since he was first elected by his colleagues to the post in 1983.
Edly-Allen said the top problem in politics is not how long someone serves, but rather money.
"It is the primary reason why legislative leaders have so much power," Edly-Allen said. "While term limits on leaders may help, the only way to keep so much power out of the hands of so few is to overhaul our campaign finance system and limit the amount of money in our elections."
Miller Walsh endorses term limits for all legislators, not just the leaders of both chambers.
"I would suggest that all state legislators serve no more than three terms," Miller Walsh said. "We live in a representative democracy. Our constitution was designed for people to take time away from their businesses or farms, go and serve, then come home and let someone else represent their community."
Edly-Allen has a massive campaign funding advantage over Miller Walsh as the election nears. She received $750,000 on Monday from the Democratic Party of Illinois, bringing her cash on hand to about $1.2 million, according to the Illinois Sunshine campaign finance disclosure database.
Miller Walsh received $115,304 from the House Republican Organization on Oct. 19. She had $260,176 in available funds as of Tuesday.