Shannon Teresi: 2022 candidate for Illinois comptroller

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: Illinois comptroller

City: Crystal Lake

Age: 38

Occupation: Elected McHenry County Auditor

Previous offices held: McHenry County Auditor

Q&A

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

A: Currently the Comptroller's office runs in an outdated and inefficient manner. As the Elected Auditor of McHenry County, I have automated our office to ensure invoices from vendors are processed for payment between minutes or 24 hours and all purchases must be approved and sent through the office to reduce the chance of fraud, waste, and abuse. Illinois is the most financially corrupt state in the nation and the system I implemented in McHenry County is similar that I would enact in Springfield because it is time we start rooting out corruption from the inside.

Q: What experiences and qualifications have prepared you for success in this office?

A: I'm the elected Auditor for McHenry County currently and have a professional background as a CPA, Certified Fraud Examiner, and Internal auditor who worked for fortune 500 companies before becoming a mother. If elected, I would be the most qualified Comptroller in the history of Illinois. We need an experienced accountant because right now the future generation is at risk. My experience in accounting and auditing is 15 years. In McHenry County, under my watch we have $0 in debt and increased our position by over $80 million. My system of working with all county departments and cutting unnecessary spending did this. I have successfully rooted out corruption by investigating fraud, waste, and abuse. I have aided in the investigation of numerous county employees and vendors. Your CFO/State Comptroller is responsible for overall financial leadership, and I will be that change agent statewide for Illinois residents and businesses to bring true financial reform.

Q: What should be the comptroller's role in managing payment of the state's bills? What, if anything, needs to be changed in this process?

A: The role of the Comptroller is essential in managing the payments of all bills! Illinois is the most financially corrupt state in the nation. In McHenry county, we pay bills within minutes to 24 hours and under my watch we have systematically rooted out corruption because invoices are forensically audited before paid and are either approved or rejected before anything can be processed. If we make this a priority in Springfield, we will start to see elimination of waste and corruption go down because I would actively vet all invoices to vendors before any money is sent out. Under my watch, money would not be misplaced and fraudulent contractors or vendors would receive nothing. This is one step to tackling corruption by cutting off the purse strings to career politicians who choose themselves over the people.

Q: Should the comptroller's and treasurer's offices be combined? Why or why not and if so, how?

A: The Comptroller and Treasurer's office should 100% be combined because this will save money and most states only have one office. I truly believe that these two offices should be merged and lead by example. We are the overall highest tax state in the nation and we must find ways to save. Currently, we are witnessing a Treasurer's Office and Comptroller's Office who are not in communication and due to lack of qualifications, they both have misplaced $1.6 Billion of Illinois Taxpayer's Money! Also, these office holders are actually misleading the public. They are moving around money between accounts to make it seem like Illinois is moving forward when in reality we are walking off a financial cliff. This is just like opening one credit card to pay off another and it's a domino effect putting the future generation at risk for mounting debt and higher taxes.