Dennis M. Reboletti: 2022 candidate for Illinois Senate District 23

Bio

Party: Republican

Office sought: Illinois Senate District 23

City: Elmhurst

Age: 54

Occupation: Attorney, Law Office of Dennis Reboletti

Previous offices held: Illinois State Representative District 45, 2007-2015; Addison Township Supervisor; Addison Township Trustee

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: Anything that changes the structure of the General Assembly must occur in Article IV of the Illinois Constitution, which means a Constitutional Amendment be brought forth to the voters upon approval of the General Assembly. Term limits on leaders has passed statutorily. That can be changed any year.

I support term limits on leaders. This should happen via amendment. A "Fair Maps" constitutional amendment must be implemented. This would allow for districts drawn for the people and not for the senator. Competitive districts would allow people more choices through fair representation and not gerrymandered districts.

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: Illinois, among many other states, were given billions and billions of taxpayer dollars which bailed them out. Just a few years ago, the PEOPLE had to tell the Governor and my opponent "NO!" on the progressive income tax by voting against the statewide referendum. Even with all of that money, the Governor and his fellow Democrats left a glaring hole in the unemployment fund to the tune of $1.5 billion.

Small business have been forced to pick up that tab and pass it along to their customers, which has led to an increase in consumer prices Those customers are getting one time $50 gimmick rebates, which barely will fill up their gas tank one time. Federal assistance is not a magical pot of someone else's money. The residents of Illinois pay a substantial amount to the federal government as well.

Improving the budget in Illinois begins with something very simple; do not spend more money than you take in, as families in the 23rd District do.

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: The way we fund schools in Illinois is broken.

The evidence- based model simply helps pick winners and losers in Illinois, as the General Assembly likes to do. All 102 counties should pay property taxes the same way. 101 counties already do.

Once a tax system is implemented statewide, state dollars should be based per child. Taking away state money from one school to give to another doesn't solve any problems.

The loss of state dollars force those districts to levy more property taxes in order to stay flat. When local districts pass referenda, this should not hurt or work against the students in that district. The students should also have an opportunity to attend colleges in the state of Illinois without paying more than it costs to attend out of state.

The U of I should prioritize enrollment for Illinois students as other states do.

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

A: The actual voting process is free and fair. However, the 2022 election cycle started out with an unconstitutional redistricting process.

When those in power are afraid to let the voters decide and the majority party fears a loss, we must utilize the power of the pen and map.

My opponent clearly knows and understands this unfairness and is complicit in this unfair process as Chair on the Subcommittee on DuPage redistricting.

The mail-in ballots should have to be requested for each election. The mail-in ballots should also have a final deadline date set to be mailed in prior to Election Day. This would allow the county clerks to faster process which would allow for results to be available sooner. Mail-in ballots should not continue to trickle in for days following the election.

As Addison Township Supervisor, I have fought for our township early vote site to have as many days to be open that the Clerk will provide for voters.

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: With the recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings, nothing has changed in Illinois. This why elections are so important.

The citizens can decide their priorities by speaking at the ballot box.