Charles Roeske: 2022 candidate for Illinois House District 59

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: Illinois House District 59

City: Mundelein

Age: 54

Occupation: SOC Manager, Highwire Networks

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: There needs to be real reform and accountability in the legislature. We need to find a real way to improve transparency, prosecute fraud and have real accountability. I think that there are also two measures that need to happen in Illinois to address the fact that politicians write laws that they exempt themselves from. Term limits with the addition of preventing lobbying for at least two years and a law to expressly forbid the exclusion of politicians from a law. I think we need to return to the understanding that politicians are the servants of the people and should be openly providing information to their constituents.

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: The federal assistance only temporarily allowed our state to put a good face on a bad situation. While I don't profess to understand all the nuances of state finance the continued out-of-control spending in our state needs to be brought under control. I would love to see a balanced-budget amendment, as well as responsible spending. Expecting the citizens of this state to continue to shoulder the burden of the bad financial decisions of past and current administrations will just continue to drive citizens and businesses to leave the state for better situations. I would like to use a more realistic model of determining what a truly realistic and fair tax would be for the citizens and they the state working within those limits to provide the services to the citizens.

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: Overall we need to do better with education and the evidence-based model at least allows for fairness in providing students the resources to learn. But we need to try better in execution. We need to spend more time and resources on providing the students with the tools to succeed in life. More focus on life skills and core education English, math, science, etc. and less on subjects that should be the parent's like emotions, sex, and social interaction. I also that school districts need to be accountable and transparent to the parents in their communities. Education should be a partnership between parents and schools.

Q: Do you believe elections in Illinois are free and fair? What changes, if any, are needed regarding election security and voter access?

A: Overall I do feel elections are free and fair. That being said there are still a lot of room for improving the process. Truing up the voter roles, requiring an ID to show identity and providing those ID to legal residents for free if necessary. Signature verification of mail-in ballots and restricting the reason to be able to use a mail-in ballot. Overall we should do what we can to ensure all ballots are legal without denying those who have a valid right to vote.

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: I am not aware of any decision handed down recently in regard to gay marriage. As for the abortion issue, it didn't change anything in Illinois but I do feel it was the right decision. The supreme court should never have ruled on the way it was. It is not the job to make law it is their job to interpret law. Also, this country was meant to retain for the states and the people those powers not enumerated in the constitution to the states. Each state was meant to be a separate experiment in democracy. So I feel that the ruling was exactly right and that each state should decide on its own how to best address this subject. I feel it is up to the citizens of each state to decide what it is they hold as important.