Steve Kim: 2022 candidate for Illinois Attorney General

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: Attorney General

City: Deerfield

Age: 51

Occupation: Attorney

Previous offices held: Northfield Township Trustee

Q&A

What personal background and experiences qualify you for the role of attorney general? If you are the incumbent, what do you consider your most important achievements? If a challenger, what do you consider the most important unmet needs in the office?

I don't have the traditional path to be Attorney General, but that allows me to look at the office through a new lens, something different than the career politicians who have filled the office year after year. I'm an attorney who has worked around the world, from Cairo, IL to Cairo, Egypt addressing anti-corruption policies, rule of law, and public safety policy. I've adjudicated hundreds of civil rights cases as a member of the Illinois Human Rights Commission. I understand the role that the Attorney General needs to play in addressing crime and combatting corruption, something our current Attorney General does not.

Is the office of public information public access counselor important? What should be the attorney general's role in ensuring that state and local governing bodies operate in an open and transparent manner?

Being open and transparent should be the minimum expectation for the Attorney General. Our current Attorney General promised to take on corruption when he ran in 2018, and has not said a word about it since, even as major figures who helped get him elected, like Speaker Mike Madigan, have been indicted. This is a transparency and accountability issue I expect to resolve as Attorney General.

How aggressive should the attorney general be in seeking consumer protections through the courts?

The Attorney General should not only be aggressive in protecting taxpayers, but that should also expand to fighting public corruption. In my professional career, I have worked with governments that are rife with corruption, and it creates many of the ongoing, systemic issues we see in Illinois government. As Attorney General, I will fight for taxpayers through consumer protection, but also in targeting corruption statewide.

How efficiently do you think the attorney general's office operates currently. What, if anything, would you do to streamline the office?

The Attorney General's office is falling short of its responsibilities as the state's chief law enforcement office. There are Attorney Generals across the state who are failing to fulfill their responsibilities, not prosecuting criminals, and disregarding the work done by law enforcement in the process. I believe the Attorney General's office needs to work alongside State's Attorneys and ensure that they are prosecuting cases, and taking action to ensure that those who would rather play politics with public safety actually do their jobs.