Angela Hallock Nowak: 2022 candidate for Illinois House District 43
Bio
Party: Republican
Office sought: Illinois House District 43
City: Elgin
Age: 40
Occupation: Teacher
Previous offices held: None
Q&A
Q: What needs to be done structurally to make the legislature more effective? What is your position on term limits in general and for legislative leaders specifically?
A: I support terms limits. Campaign finance reform will make the legislature more effective, and we need to address corruption in our state. Michael J. Madigan, the former Illinois Speaker of the House, has been indicted on Federal racketeering and bribery charges in connection with alleged corruption schemes. As reported by the Kane County Reporter, Rep. Anna Moeller provided Friends of Michael Madigan $57,800 in July 2019. We need to end patronage of corrupt politicians in Illinois.
Q: Federal assistance has enabled the state to make important advances toward improving its budget. What will you do to ensure these advances continue when the federal aid is gone?
A: We need to have a sustainable budget in Illinois irrespective of federal assistance. If federal assistance is to be given to a state for a specific reason, the state is responsible to use those funds for the purpose intended.
Q: To what extent are you happy or unhappy with the evidence-based model for education funding now in place in Illinois? How would you define “adequate” state funding for Illinois schools and what will you do to promote that?
A: Unhappy. I would begin by asking if student achievement has improved since this model has been put into place. As a teacher, I can tell you the answer is no. It is time to seek other solutions. Funding is not the only variable that needs to be accounted for when student achievement is expected. It is time for those discussions.
Q: Do you believe elections in Illinois are free and fair? What changes, if any, are needed regarding election security and voter access?
A: Elections in Illinois need improvement. A very basic improvement at the precinct level is for the voter rolls to be cleaned up. Citizens of both parties need to be privy to the voting and tabulation process. The devices by which we cast our ballots need to be free from error and manipulation. We have an obligation to make sure that every legal vote is counted.
Q: How well has Illinois responded to Supreme Court indications that it considers abortion, gay marriage and other social issues to be state, not federal, responsibilities? What if anything needs to be done in these areas and what would you do to make your vision come to pass?
A: This is not about my vision. The 10th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution states: “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” In terms of social issues, the only voices that matter are the people of the State of Illinois.